Jose Ramirez may have never been the single best player in baseball.
But the Cleveland Guardians' superstar has long been one of the best on the planet, every single year.
A new stat, posted by agent Rafa Nieves on X, really sums it up. The list, which we'll share below, shows how Ramirez compares to Yankees superstar Aaron Judge.
It uses Wins Above Replacement to show that, more or less, the only player to consistently outdo Ramirez in WAR is Judge, who is one of the best right-handed hitters of all time.
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Here's what Nieves shared:
American League fWAR Leaders:
Since 2016: 1. Aaron Judge 2. Jose Ramirez
Since 2017: 1. Aaron Judge 2. Jose Ramirez
Since 2018: 1. Aaron Judge 2. Jose Ramirez
Since 2019: 1. Aaron Judge 2. Jose Ramirez
Since 2020: 1. Aaron Judge 2. Jose Ramirez
Since 2021: 1. Aaron Judge 2. Jose Ramirez
Since 2022: 1. Aaron Judge 2. Bobby Witt Jr. 3. Jose Ramirez
Since 2023: 1. Aaron Judge 2. Bobby Witt Jr. 3. Cal Raleigh 4. Gunnar Henderson 5. Jose Ramirez
Since 2024: 1. Aaron Judge 2. Bobby Witt Jr. 3. Cal Raleigh 4. Gunnar Henderson 5. Jose Ramirez
2025: 1. Aaron Judge 2. Cal Raleigh 3. Bobby Witt Jr. 4. Jose Ramirez
Ramirez has never played in a big market. He opted to sign a long-term extension for less money in Cleveland rather than to seek out brighter pastures elsewhere.
This is a guy who broke in as a weak-hitting utility player and somehow blossomed into one of the fastest players in MLB history to get to 275 home runs and 275 steals in a career.
Guardians fans adore him. They chant his first name in every big moment.
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Just on Tuesday night, Ramirez blasted two home runs against the Marlins, the second the game-winning blast in the bottom of the eighth inning.
In the process, he set the franchise's new record for multi-homer games.
There's never been a Cleveland ballplayer quite like Ramirez.
And in comparing him to the 6-foot-7 giant that is Judge, it emphasizes the beauty of baseball. The pair looks nothing alike, and yet for the past decade, they've been the two best players in the American League, no question about it.
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