Something Looks Off With Jose Ramirez, Guardians Opinion

Cleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez currently has a walk rate of 5.6% which is the lowest of his career.

Apr 26, 2024; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) shown after being hit by a pitch against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Jose Ramirez will always be one of baseball’s most feared hitters. There’s a reason he was voted as one of the game’s most underrated players by his peers. 

However, Ramirez is off to an abnormal start to the season for the Cleveland Guardians. It usually takes some time for him to get going as his career batting average in April is just .265. But the strikeouts and lack of walks point to something being off with Ramirez’s overall game.

J-Ram currently has a K% of 11.2 which is about his career average. But his walk rate of 5.6% is easily the lowest we’ve from Ramirez over the last 10 years. 

What makes all of this odder is that the Guardians lineup has actually done a good job producing runs which means Ramirez shouldn’t feel the need to do too much for his team to win. It doesn’t make sense for him to be as aggressive as he has been.

Another oddity for Ramirez is that he has an OBP of .208 when the pitcher gets ahead. One of his strengths is being able to work counts to his favor. For example, when J-Ram has an OBP of .285 the count gets a count back to even, and a .240 OBP when the pitcher gets ahead.

Apr 26, 2024; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) shown after being hit by a pitch against the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Stephen Vogt acknowledged Ramirez’s struggles and at times bad luck to start the season. This is what he said regarding J-Ram’s first month of 2024.

“I think just like anybody else, you’ve got to stick with your process,” said Vogt. “That’s the thing with Josey. No matter if he’s getting hits or not he’s the same guy every day and going out there with the same mindset, same approach, and he just continues to hit the ball hard”

Ramirez has earned the benefit of the doubt considering his career track record. It’s certainly concerning to see some of these underlying numbers, but we’ve all seen how fast J-Ram has the ability to get hot. That’s only going to happen if he sticks with his approach and is a little more patient at the plate.

“He’s going to continue to do what he does and be himself.”