3 Reasons the Guardians Will Win the AL Central
By Tyler Maher
2. Jose Ramirez is Really Good
Minnesota's lineup is deeper than Cleveland's, I'll grant you that, but nobody in that offense really scares me. Edouard Julien has been their best hitter so far this year, but he's a rookie and rookie hitters tend to tail off in the second half as the league figures them out.
Our lineup isn't great, either, but at least we have a legitimate superstar in Jose Ramirez. He's not quite playing at an MVP level this season, but he was an All-Star again and deserved it. He's doing everything we've come to expect from him -- hitting for power, stealing bases, taking his walks and holding down the hot corner.
Few players can take over a game and beat you the way that Ramirez can with his five-tool skillset, which gives us an edge whenever he's on the field. He's also been hitting well since the All-Star break and could be poised for a big second half, especially if his power picks up a bit.
With Ramirez anchoring our lineup, we've got at least one guy that pitchers are legitimately afraid of. And if we can bring in another bat at the trade deadline to help him out, that will be even better.