Cleveland Indians IF Jose Ramirez has been mired in a slump that stretches back to mid-August 2018. What’s happening and could there be light at the end of the tunnel?
Entering the bottom 9th inning of a tied game against their division rivals Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians infielder Jose Ramirez stepped up to the plate against Kelvin Herrera. In need of a big hit to snap out of a slump he’d been mired in since the middle of August 2018 – he actually has the worst batting average in MLB in that time span – Ramirez worked the count in his favor to 3-1.
The next pitch delivered by Herrara, a 96 mph fastball left up in the zone, was drilled by Ramirez into the right field bleachers. In celebration, Ramirez tipped his helmet as he rounded first, perhaps saying farewell to the worst stretch of his career as a hitter.
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Throughout his career, Jose Ramirez has been one of the most consistent hitters in baseball. Since becoming a regular in the Cleveland Indians lineup in 2016, he’s garnered MVP consideration in each season.
In that time span, according to FanGraphs Ramirez has the 5th best fWAR (19.4 fWAR) in MLB. That puts him directly behind:
- Mike Trout (28.6 fWAR)
- Mookie Betts (25.3 fWAR)
- Christian Yelich (20.4 fWAR)
- Jose Altuve (20.1 fWAR)
Now, you have to wonder how such a great player can get lost in such an atrocious slump. The answer lies in plate discipline.
When looking at Ramirez’s plate discipline, the following stands out: In 2019, he is more aggressive at the plate than in 2018 resulting in the highest swing and miss rate of his career. As a result of this, Ramirez is striking out at the highest rate of his career (14.6%).
It reeks of a player who is deeply aware of his poor play and is chasing for a moment, perhaps this was it. I’m sure the Cleveland Indians and their fans sure hope it is.