Game 1 of the 2024 American League Championship Series begins Monday with the New York Yankees hosting the Cleveland Guardians.
It’s quite a miraculous journey for Cleveland’s first-time MLB manager Stephen Vogt. But he had plenty of assistance on the roster to get him there. Despite how people label them.
A spat of media members referring to Cleveland’s four-time Silver Slugger José Ramírez as “underrated” has gotten under the skin of Yankees manager Aaron Boone as he prepares to play against him.
Boone was asked Sunday what makes Ramírez such a great player.
“He’s the complete package,” Boone told the media. “I get on people all the time. If I hear another how underappreciated, underrated he is from somebody on a network or something, I want to rip my arms off and throw it at the TV. He’s not underappreciated. He is not underrated. He’s a great on-track Hall of Fame player, and everybody knows it, including everyone sitting out here.”
“If I hear another ‘how underappreciated, underrated’ he is from somebody on a network, I want to rip my arms off and throw it at the TV”
Aaron Boone on Jose Ramirez: pic.twitter.com/4Dmby742FC
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 13, 2024
A quick news search on Ramírez shows that quite a few articles refer to him as underrated. As for why that’s the case, it depends on who you ask. It could be because he plays for Cleveland as opposed to New York or Boston. East Coast bias is a real thing.
“Switch hitter, power, great base runner, great defender at third,” Boone added. “Like he’s a great all-around player, period. He creates some problems. Hopefully, we can keep him quiet enough, but I think he has the utmost respect from everyone in the game and very much is not underrated.”
Boone added that the label seems to be automatically given to J-Ram anytime someone analyzes him.
“It’s almost, when someone starts talking about him, you have to mention how underappreciated he is. It’s incredible. It’s like when a broadcaster goes on a show, and they always introduce him as the great so and so is coming on. It’s like it’s part of the sentence.”
Vogt has talked about Ramírez and called him the best player the Guardians have and even one of the best players in the world. Perhaps that’s why he’s been part of the MVP conversation many times across his 12-year career.
Ramírez finished the 2024 regular season slashing .279/.335/.537 with 39 home runs and earning an All-Star selection.
Hopefully, the “underrated” label goes away after this series and Aaron Boone gets to keep both his arms.
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.