Jose Ramirez Still In MVP Conversation Despite Guardians' Slide

No matter how the 2025 season ends for the Cleveland Guardians, one thing is for sure: Jose Ramirez is still one of the best players in MLB.

Even though the team hasn’t been playing its best baseball as of late and is sliding out of the postseason race, Ramirez has still been one of the best players in the sport and deserves any and all recognition he gets.

MLB.com recently polled 37 of its experts to cast a vote for their favorite to win the American League MVP race.

Ramirez didn’t receive any first-place votes, but he did come in fourth on their list. Bobby Witt Jr, Aaron Judge, and Cal Raleigh are the three players who finished above Cleveland’s superstar.

“Ramírez always seems to be right in the MVP conversation. With five top-five finishes already in his career, he figures to be in that space again this season. The switch-hitter is on pace for a second-straight 30-30 season (it would be his third overall) and he's in the top-10 in the AL in hits (137), average (.288), homers (26), on-base percentage (.362) and slugging (.512). He's a model of consistency,” wrote MLB.com’s Jason Foster.

Jul 27, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) hits a single against the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

At this point in Ramirez’s career, he already has five top-five finishes in the MVP race, and it looks like he’s destined for another one in 2025.

J-Ram has shown no signs of slowing down at 32 years old, and has a slash line of .286/.360/.507 with an OPS of .867 with nearly a month left to play in the season.

With Raleigh putting up the best offensive season for a catcher the sport has ever seen and Judge continuing to show why he’s one of the best hitters of this generation, Ramirez won’t be snubbed by losing out on MVP.

Still, it’s incredible that, despite consistently being one of the best and elite players for over a decade, Ramirez has never won an MVP.

Perhaps 2026 will finally be the season the Guardians' superstar will have the numbers to prove he is in fact the most valuable player in the American League.

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