José Ramírez Names Gavin Williams the Guardians' Most Underrated Talent

Williams has begun the 2026 campaign on a strong note, posting a 3-1 overall record with a 2.12 ERA across five starts on the mound.

Apr 1, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Gavin Williams (32) gets set on the mound in the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Future Hall of Fame third baseman José Ramírez was asked about who he thinks the most underrated pitcher in MLB is right now.

And his answer may be somewhat shocking.

"I think Gavin Williams, our pitcher," Ramírez said through interpreter Agustin Rivero during a specialty Zoom interview on Tuesday. "I feel like he doesn't get enough credit for what he does in the field."

Of all the players in the league, Ramírez went out of his way to back Williams, praising the work he’s done on the mound for the Cleveland Guardians.

To start the 2026 season, Williams has already made five starts, posting a strong 2.12 ERA while racking up 40 strikeouts, one of the top totals in the league.

In his most recent start, Williams helped guide the Guardians to a win over the Baltimore Orioles, pitching through seven innings. He struck out 11 batters, walked just three, allowed three hits and gave up one earned run.

The Guardians would go on to win, 4-2, with Williams' strong start directly contributing to the team's success.

"He was throwing strikes," Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said after the game concluded. "I mean, he was filling up the zone. He was getting ahead, and I don't even think there were too many three-ball counts tonight. I mean, he was super efficient, a lot of punch-outs, which, usually, that means a higher pitch count, but that wasn't the case tonight."

Ever since his somewhat strugglesome outing to begin the campaign on the road in Seattle against the Mariners, he has looked practically brand new. His walk rate has dropped a good bit, he hasn't allowed hard contact and most of all, has kept a level head.

His advanced metrics give a deeper dive into just how impactful he is while on the mound.

He currently ranks in the 90th percentile or higher in pitching run value, breaking run value and strikeout percentage. He's also just on the brink of jumping into that high of a percentile in chase percentage and whiff percentage, showing that he's forcing batters to swing at pitches they shouldn't be and producing swings and misses.

While his pitching arsenal isn't the biggest bag of tricks, his four-seamer, sweeper and curveball are all incredibly efficient pitches.

This season, his sweeper in particular has a measly 0.83 batting average against and accounts for 12 of his 40 strikeouts.

Yet somehow, someway, even with him being fifteenth in the league in ERA, 25th in WHIP, third in batting average against and third in total strikeouts, he remains under the radar as one of baseball's best arms.

But as long as Ramírez continues to sing Williams' praises, it's going to become hard to ignore what he's putting out on the mound each start.