Former MLB Star Picks Guardians' Jose Ramirez Over Aaron Judge For MVP

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez is firmly in the AL MVP conversation thanks to some incredible play over the first several months of 2024, but has he done enough to beat out New York Yankees star Aaron Judge?

Oct 5, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) turns a double play over New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (99) during the fourth inning in game one of the 2017 ALDS at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians have been one of the best teams in baseball through mid-July, and Jose Ramirez is one of the biggest reasons why.

The All-Star third baseman is slashing .272/.327/.525 with 23 home runs and 77 RBI over 388 plate appearances thus far this season.

That's enough for former MLB star Harold Reynolds to claim that Ramirez is the American League MVP through the first half of 2024.

"I think he's the MVP of the league even though Aaron Judge is having an incredible year," Reynolds said during an appearance on 92.3 The Fan.

Reynolds went on to praise Ramirez's versatility, calling him a "special, special talent."

A month ago, Judge was the clear-cut favorite to win the AL MVP award. The Yankees had the best record in the league, and Judge was on pace to rival his 62-homer campaign from 2022.

However, things have changed over the last few weeks.

While Judge still leads the majors with 32 long balls (!!!) and 83 RBI, the Yankees are mired in a miserable slump, and Judge hasn't homered since July 2.

Meanwhile, the Guardians have surged to the top of the American League standings, and while Ramirez himself hasn't left the ballpark in the month of July, he is hitting a tremendous .348 with runners in scoring position this season and has Cleveland in position to nab the No. 1 seed in the AL.

Of course, it's still going to take a monster second half from Ramirez (or a horrendous slide from Judge) for him to truly surpass the Bronx superstar in the MVP conversation.

Judge boasts a 5.7 WAR to Ramirez's 3.0 and is also sporting a ridiculous 1.035 OPS to Ramirez's .853.

That's not to take away from anything Ramirez has done. He is firmly entrenched in the MVP conversation. But Judge is simply on another level right now.