Is Guardians' Experiment With Jose Ramirez Working?
Jose Ramirez has been one of baseball's most consistent players over the last decade. One reason for this is that he always knows where he'll be playing and hitting in the order on any given day. This isn't something that players can say nowadays with flexibility being a priority for front offices.
However, the Cleveland Guardians' approach with Ramirez over the last three years has been that he'll be hitting third no matter who's on the mound, righty or lefty.
That changed in the middle of August as Ramirez faced a slump and was struggling to be the consistent player he normally is. Fans were surprised and also optimistic when he came back from his suspension and was written in as Cleveland's two-hole hitter.
Guardians manager Terry Francona gave a couple of reasons as to why he moved Ramirez up one spot in the order. Hitting behind Steven Kwan and in front of Josh Naylor should theoretically protect Cleveland's best hitter. It would also allow for Jose to get more at-bats too which is something he was excited about.
Has Francona's plan come to fruition? Is Cleveland's experiment with Jose Ramirez working?
Here's a comparison of each of Ramirez's slash lines batting in the different spots:
| Statistic | Jose Ramirez Batting 2nd (142 Plate Appearances) | Jose Ramirez Batting 3rd (499 Plate Appearances) |
|---|---|---|
BA | .268 | .283 |
OBP | .345 | .357 |
SLG | .480 | .488 |
OPS | .825 | .844 |
It appears from this breakdown that it's close but batting third is slightly the better option for Ramirez. But, there's more to the story.
Jose was moved to this new spot in the lineup halfway through August which is also the same month the Naylor missed due to an oblique injury. Having him hit behind Ramirez was one of the motivating factors for this shift and it has worked beautifully since Naylor's return.
Jul 26, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Jose Ramirez (11) rounds third base en route to scoring during the sixth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Ramirez has a batting average of .328 and is slugging .569 since Naylor returned to the lineup all while his walk and strikeout rate have fallen too.
Hitting Ramirez second appears to be paying off and Naylor and Kwan are giving him the opportunity to see more pitches to hit. This experiment has been an overall success and having an opening three of Kwan-Ramirez-Naylor heading in 2024 is a nice building block for putting together a solid offense.
