MLB 21st century face of the franchise — Cleveland Guardians: Jose Ramirez
Jose Ramirez came to the Guardians as a touted rookie in 2014 and has inexorably risen in stature.
Part of his rise in prominence has been attributable to attrition as the Indians lost or moved out their other most prominent ‘faces.’ Indians management traded away Corey Kluber following the 2019 season. At the time Kluber probably was the franchise face, having compiled a 98-58 record and 3.16 ERA.
That trade left Francisco Lindor as the franchise face. Lindor was a .285 hitter and magnificent fielder in six starring seasons at shortstop. But Lindor was also traded away – that deal coming this winter – in a cost-saving step.
That leaves Ramirez, who is a worthy franchise representative. He has a career .279 average over 1,137 games with 192 home runs and 666 RBI. He’s a four-time All-Star who has won the respect of observers, as evidenced by his four top-four finishes in MVP balloting since 2017.
In 2020, he was runner-up to Jose Abreu with a .292 batting average, .386 on base average and .607 slugging average.
He was the unquestioned leader of Cleveland’s run to a surprising AL Central title in 2022, and he batted .400 in a division-series loss to the Yankees.
In the wings: Since Ramirez recently signed an extension that will keep him in Cleveland at least through 2028, there’s no viable threat to his role as franchise face. Among the young stars who might over time develop, the most intriguing is leadoff hitter and contact specialist Steven Kwan.