MLB’s Biggest Story Right Now Should Be José Ramírez

José Ramírez is a seven-time Major League Baseball All-Star and yet he still doesn't get the flowers that he deserves.

Ramírez has been one of the most consistent superstars you're going to see on a baseball field. This is a guy who is now 33 years old, but has spent his entire big league career as a member of the Cleveland Guardians. There have been times throughout the years when trade rumors popped up, but nothing ever happened. Ramírez has been committed to Cleveland and in return, the Guardians have been loyal to him and they have been rewarded. Ramírez is a career .279 hitter with 286 homers, 954 RBIs and 289 stolen bases in 14 seasons.

His numbers aren't great to kick off the 2026 season. He's slashing .154/.214/.282 with one homer and five RBIs in 10 games. But it doesn't really matter. You can essentially pencil Ramírez in for around 30 homers, 80-plus RBIs, around 30 more steals and a batting average of around .280. It's just what he does every single year. At some point, he's going to get hot and then by the end of the season his numbers will look similar to how they have pretty much every season since 2013.

What's also special is the fact that he has spent his entire career in Cleveland. That's rare. The Guardians are set to face off against the Kansas City Royals on Monday night and if Ramírez is in the lineup, he will break the Guardians' franchise record for games played with the franchise with 1,620. The previous record was 1,619, which was set back in 1918, per The Athletic's Zack Meisel.

The Cleveland legend is about to make history

Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) looks to the outfield during the home opening game, April 4, 2026, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio. | Andrew Dolph / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Turner played in Cleveland for 15 years and appeared in a franchise record 1,619 games, the last of which came on Sept. 1, 1918," Meisel wrote. "More than a century later, a guy born in Baní, Dominican Republic, on Sept. 17, 1992, will break that record. When he jogs to his station at third base on Monday evening, Ramírez will begin his 1,620th game, all in a Cleveland uniform."

That's not all, though. When Ramírez does break the record, he will become the only active player in Major League Baseball to be the all-time games leader for their organization, per MLB.com's Tim Stebbins.

"Ramírez (who’s in his 14th season) will become the only active player to lead an MLB franchise in games played — a milestone that’s incredible when you consider some of his comps," Stebbins wrote. "Hall of Famers Carl Yastrzemski (3,308 games), Hank Aaron (3,076), Stan Musial (3,026) and Derek Jeter (2,747) lead the Red Sox, Braves, Cardinals and Yankees, respectively, in games played."

It's not like MLB fans don't know Ramírez around the league. Seven All-Star nods are impressive and are a clear sign that he has been viewed among the game's best for a long time. But even with that being said, somehow, he is still underrated.

When stats like these pop up, MLB fans as a whole should be paying attention. Cleveland fans have been fortunate to see Ramírez play for a long time, but a stat like this shows just how special a player he is overall. Like Stebbins mentioned, look at those Hall of Famers who lead other organizations in games played. Ramírez is about to join that group as the leader in games played for Cleveland. MLB fans should be taking every opportunity possible to see him play because he won't be in the league forever.

There are some historic veterans playing in the game today like Ramírez, Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Mike Trout and the list goes on. Even if you're not a fan of the Guardians, every MLB fan should be a fan of Ramírez, especially on Monday night.