One month ago, Jose Ramirez reached a key career milestone. He became the first player in Cleveland Guardians history with at least 250 stolen bases and 250 home runs. Since making it into the big leagues in 2013, Jose Ramirez has become an essential player for the team.
Jose Ramirez is certainly one of the most consistent hitters in the majors. While seeing his great performance, I’m just thinking if he will be the most important player in franchise history. To solve my doubts, I decided to check on the great baseball reference website.
Firstly, let's start with the leaders in hits. Hall of Famer Nap Lajoie played in Cleveland from 1902 to 1914. In those 13 seasons, Lajoie collected 2047 hits and he’s the only player who collected 2000+ hits in franchise history. Moreover, Tris Speaker, who’s a Hall of Famer as well, played for the Cleveland Indians from 1916 to 1926. In those 11 seasons, Speaker had 1965 hits. Also, Hall of Famer Earl Averill played 11 seasons for the team. From 1929 to 1939, Averill had 1903 hits in the Indians uniform. Jose Ramirez now has 1571 hits, which are now 8th in franchise history.
Secondly, let’s look at the home run leaders. Jim Thome, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2018, blasted 612 home runs in his career. Thome played 13 seasons in Cleveland and smashed 337 home runs. He’s the only player who crushed 300+ home runs in franchise history. Meanwhile, Jose Ramirez now has 266 home runs and is on the way to the 300-home run club.
In addition, let’s look at runs batted in. Earl Averill collected 1084 RBI when he was playing in Cleveland. He’s the only player who collected 1000+ RBI in franchise history. Moreover, Jim Thome collected 937 RBI in the Indians uniform. Also, Nap Lajoie had 919 RBI and Hal Trosky played in Cleveland from 1933 to 1941, collecting 911 RBI. Jose Ramirez now has collected 893 RBI, which rank 5th in franchise history. Very soon, he shall reach 900 RBI.
Finally, let’s look at the players who ran a lot. Kenny Lofton is certainly a player that many fans remember. Lofton played 10 seasons for the Cleveland Indians. He collected more than 1500 hits and stole 452 bases. 452 SBs are the most in franchise history. Furthermore, Omar Vizquel played for the Indians from 1994 to 2004, stealing 279 bases. Jose Ramirez now has 259 steals, which are the 3rd most in franchise history.
So far in his career, Jose Ramirez hits .281/.354/.506 with 266 home runs and 893 RBI. Additionally, he has collected 1571 hits and stolen 259 bases. In these 13 seasons, his numbers are certainly impressive. Looking at his numbers, it’s quite clear that his name is in the top of several hitting categories in franchise history. Before the 2022 season, Jose Ramirez and the Guardians agreed to a 7-year contract extension. So, he shall play for the team till 2028. With 3+ seasons to go before becoming a free agent, Jose Ramirez could reach key milestones and become a leader in some hitting categories in the Guardians franchise history. But let’s keep watching when he will reach 300 home runs and 300 steals first.
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