How on Earth Does José Ramírez Just Keep Getting Better?

In 1901, the team we know today as the Cleveland Guardians played its first major league season. In the 125 years since, the franchise has played nearly 20,000 games, and no one has suited up for more of those contests than José Ramírez.

On April 6, 2026, Ramírez played his 1,620th game. With that, he passed Terry Turner for the franchise record – a record that had stood for more than a century. Turner played his 1,619th game for Cleveland in 1918.

Ramírez is the only active major leaguer who leads his team in games played. Ryan Zimmerman was the last player to hold that title; he passed Tim Wallach to set the Expos/Nationals record in 2021, his final big league season.

What makes this so remarkable is the fact that Ramírez isn’t some grizzled veteran on his last legs. Indeed, if you’ve seen any of his league-leading 11 stolen bases this season, you know his legs still work pretty darn well.

Ramírez is only three steals away from tying his personal record for stolen bases in a month, and Cleveland has six games left to play before May. That means he’s on track for a career-best 69 steals by the end of the year. And look, I know he probably won’t maintain this pace. Yet, if he did, those 69 steals would rank top five all-time for a player age 33 or older.

Single-Season Stolen Base Leaders, 33 or Older

Most players don’t keep getting better at baserunning 14 years into a major league career. But I don’t need to tell you that José Ramírez isn’t like most players. The days of Ramírez being “the most underrated player in baseball” are over. The man is a superstar, and his baserunning isn’t the only way he’s proving that in 2026.

Walking So He Can Run

With two more bases on balls, Ramírez will pass his previous career high for walks in a month. His 16.8% walk rate – that’s 19 walks in 113 PA – would easily be the best of his career. On top of that, he is one of only 10 qualified hitters right now with more walks than strikeouts.

Even better, only two of his 19 free passes have been intentional. In recent years, Ramírez has been a frequent target for intentional walks. That’s a reflection of both his talent and the mediocrity surrounding him in Cleveland’s lineups.

From 2022-25, almost 30% of his walks were of the intentional variety. Intentional walks increased his OBP by almost 20 points. Only Aaron Judge, the most fearsome hitter since Barry Bonds, was waved over to first base more often. That’s undeniably impressive.

At the same time, all of those intentional walks obscured the fact that Ramírez’s non-intentional walk rate was only 7.0%. It was one of the only statistical categories in which he was worse than league average (8.1%).

That’s why his 17 non-intentional walks through 26 games are such a good sign. Ramírez is on pace for 106 non-intentional walks in 2026. His career-high right now is 91, and that’s from back in 2018. Over the last three seasons, he has averaged 46 non-intentional walks per year, a number he’s tracking to hit by mid-June.

Disciplined Aggression

Sometimes, a high walk rate in a small sample can have more to do with passivity than discipline. That’s not what’s going on here.

Ramírez is currently swinging a little less often than he has in recent years, but his first-pitch swing rate is up to 22.5%. That’s a lot less than the league average (30.8%), but it’s well above his previous high (18.6%) and his career average (16.6%).

José Ramírez First-Pitch Swing Rate

Ramírez is also whiffing more than usual right now; his 17.9% swing-and-miss rate would be a career-high.

To be clear, he still makes far more contact than most players. That “career-worst” whiff rate is better than that of 85% of big league hitters. All I’m saying is that he has shown a little more willingness to swing through the ball now and then. Perhaps that’s what’s helping him absolutely tattoo the ones he touches.

Pulling With Authority

I’ve already told you that Ramírez is stealing bases and drawing walks at the highest rates of his career. But that’s only the appetizer. He’s also hitting the ball harder and higher than ever before.

For most of his career, Ramírez has succeeded without top-tier exit velocities. He has 291 career home runs, a 130 wRC+, and six Silver Sluggers, despite never ranking higher than the 60th percentile in hard-hit rate. That’s because he’s an elite pull hitter. He makes a ton of contact in the air, and he pulls those air balls more often than almost anyone.

This season, Ramírez is combining his pull-air tendencies with newfound strength.

While his 46.2% hard-hit rate (71st percentile) might not seem that impressive, it’s the highest of his career. It helps that he’s hitting even more of his batted balls into the air. His 23.1% groundball rate is the second-lowest among qualified hitters.

The result is a .438 expected wOBA on contact (xwOBAcon). That’s excellent, even without any further context. Do keep in mind, though, that Ramírez’s pull tendency means he regularly outperforms his expected stats. He also makes more contact than most hitters, so his numbers on contact are particularly important.

The cherry on top is how great he’s been even when he doesn’t make contact this year, because of all those walks. Not to mention all the extra value he adds with his legs after he puts the ball in play.

If it sort of seems like I’m saying that Ramírez is just really awesome at everything, then, well, yeah. You’re getting the point.

Is the Best Yet To Come?

Despite the quality of his contact, Ramírez isn’t lighting the world on fire with his overall numbers at the plate. His 135 wRC+ is great. It’s slightly higher than his 133 wRC+ from 2025, which led qualified third basemen and earned him a Silver Slugger. Yet, great is par for the course for this guy.

What’s so exciting is that right now, a 135 wRC+ doesn’t feel reflective of the way Ramírez is impacting the baseball. There’s a 36-point gap between his wOBA and xwOBA. His .222 BABIP is 57 ticks below his career average. His BABIP is bound to rise, and the wOBA-xwOBA gap is likely to close.

Ramírez has already compiled 1.2 fWAR. Most projection systems see him posting another 4.5 wins over the rest of the season. That puts his median outcome at around a six-win season. However, if he keeps running, walking, and swinging like he has to this point, he’ll blow past that number. His 14th MLB season could be his best one yet.

I know it’s early. I know the sample is small. I know all that, and even so, I’m hopeful. If there’s anyone who has earned my blind optimism, it’s Ramírez.

When José Ramírez and the Guardians agreed to a restructured contract this past winter, many were quick to question Cleveland’s decision. After all, Ramírez still had three years left on his old deal, a deal that would pay him $69 million over those three seasons. That’s a bargain for a player of his calibre.

The new extension guaranteed Ramírez more than $100 million in new money for his age-36 to 39 seasons. Much of that money was deferred, and even if it was an “overpay,” few would be more deserving of an overpay than Ramírez. He had played most of his career on two of the most team-friendly extensions imaginable.

Yes, I understand that signing a player into his late thirties always comes with some degree of risk. In this case, however, I’d say the risk is pretty low. If that wasn’t clear before, it should be now.

Ramírez has reached an age at which most players start to decline. Heck, he’s reached an age at which most players have retired. Yet, somehow, some way, the man who has played more games than anyone else in Guardians history just keeps getting better.