José Ramírez is having a stellar month of May for the Cleveland Guardians, particularly in the RBI department. The veteran third baseman is currently a huge reason why the Guardians have remained in first place in the American League Central. Ramírez not only leads the Guardians in runs batted in, but he leads MLB with 54 RBI, 30 of which have come in the month of May alone. Ramírez now has at least one RBI in six straight games, and a total of 13 RBI in that span. Furthermore, his May OPS stands at 1.018 after posting just a .736 OPS in April. In his past seven games, Ramírez is hitting a torrid .357/.419/.929.
José Ramírez has THIRTY runs batted in this month 🤯@markdero7 and @JakePeavy_22 dive in on the @CleGuardians superstar and his dominance from both sides of the dish. #MLBCentral pic.twitter.com/PmUfZWBvl9
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) May 28, 2024
José Ramírez Has Been on an RBI Tear This May
Ramírez, 31, is currently in his 12th season in Cleveland. The five-time All-Star has been a stat lover’s dream over his career, and can be considered somewhat of an anomaly among modern-day hitters. Take last season, for instance, when Ramírez walked (73) as many times as he struck out (73). Or there was 2018, when Ramírez walked 106 times and had just 80 strikeouts. His plate discipline is uncanny, and he makes consistent contact. In fact, in 12 seasons, Ramírez has never struck out more than 87 times in a single season. Add in the fact that he has six seasons with 20+ home runs, and you can see why he is a rarity among the modern-day slugger.
Ramírez currently has 24 career multi-homer games, which ranks fourth in franchise history. It’s not just the long ball that has boosted his slugging percentage though. Ramírez has been a doubles machine over his career. He currently has 336 career doubles, including seven seasons with at least 30 of them. In 2017, Ramírez led MLB with 56 doubles, a single-season best for him. He also led the AL with 44 doubles in 2022.
As if the hitting statistics weren’t enough, Ramírez also has 210 career stolen bases, including six seasons with 20+ steals. How this guy is still so underrated is mind-boggling. He has been a model of consistency for Cleveland since debuting in 2013.
Ramirez Makes Confident Statement Regarding Former Legend
Despite flying mostly under the radar in his career, Ramírez was shown a great deal of respect in a game against the Los Angeles Angels this past Sunday when he drew a bases-loaded walk on four pitches. This immediately drew comparisons to Barry Bonds, who was so feared as a hitter that he had once drawn an intentional walk with the bases loaded in a 1998 game. Paul Hoynes, a Cleveland.com reporter, made sure to make mention of the Bonds treatment to Ramírez after the game. According to Hoynes, Ramirez responded, “I’m better than Barry Bonds.” No lack of confidence there.
Jose Ramirez wasn’t shy when Barry Bonds name came up in conversation pic.twitter.com/uaM69m2Dde
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 27, 2024
Despite the slow start to the season, Ramírez has caught fire in the month of May. His 10 home runs this month rank just second behind Aaron Judge and Kyle Tucker, who both have 11. His 30 RBI lead MLB for the month, and he ranks third in slugging percentage (.663). With Cleveland atop the AL Central, and still not at full strength from injuries, Ramírez has helped keep the Guardians in a great spot as May comes to a close.
Photo Credit: © David Dermer-USA TODAY Sports
