{"id":231195,"date":"2025-09-16T11:06:11","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T11:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/231195\/"},"modified":"2025-09-16T11:06:11","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T11:06:11","slug":"the-provocative-comedy-of-jose-ramirez-the-star-guiding-the-guardians-back-from-the-brink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/231195\/","title":{"rendered":"The provocative comedy of Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez, the star guiding the Guardians back from the brink"},"content":{"rendered":"

CLEVELAND \u2014 On his way out of the home clubhouse at Progressive Field one afternoon last summer, pitcher Alex Cobb paused at the locker beside the double-door entrance.<\/p>\n

Cobb, a recent trade acquisition, wanted to introduce himself to the face of the franchise. He initiated small talk with Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez, who described the west side suburb in which he resides.<\/p>\n

Cobb asked if he lived on or near Lake Erie, figuring the handsomely paid superstar boasted a sprawling backyard that overlooks the shoreline.<\/p>\n

Ram\u00edrez shook his head and stressed that he keeps his distance.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo many crocodiles,\u201d the perennial MVP candidate deadpanned to a teammate he barely knew, about a body of water that freezes each winter.<\/p>\n

Cobb chuckled, but he was clearly puzzled. He\u2019s joking, right? Is he testing me?<\/p>\n

He was, in fact, joking \u2014 American crocodiles don\u2019t range north of their Florida habitat \u2014 and Cobb would get used to that sense of humor, as have the rest of the Guardians. His first few years in the majors, Ram\u00edrez barely uttered a word. As he gained confidence and acclaim at the plate and on the bases, he blossomed into a leader in the clubhouse and dugout, too.<\/p>\n

For a roster full of 20-somethings short on big-league experience, the 5-foot-8 Ram\u00edrez might seem like a larger-than-life presence. He could be bound for Cooperstown one day, and he\u2019s inching toward the top of just about every franchise leaderboard for position players.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s his personality, though, that\u00a0has guided the Guardians through a summer of adversity<\/a>. He\u2019s insistent on making teammates feel comfortable and capable, disarming them with impeccable comedic timing in his first or second language.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When things go right for the Guardians, Ram\u00edrez is usually at the center of the celebrations. (David Richard \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Steven Kwan laughed as Ram\u00edrez yapped at C.J. Kayfus on the rookie\u2019s first day in the big leagues in August. Teammates considered it Ram\u00edrez\u2019s way of making Kayfus feel welcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure it was,\u201d Kayfus said, \u201cbut it was all in Spanish.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll connect with anyone, be it a 37-year-old pitcher in the twilight of his career or a first-day rookie drowning in jitters.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first got called up,\u201d said David Fry, \u201cI\u2019m like, \u2018That\u2019s Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez. Don\u2019t get in his way.\u2019 Then you see him slapping Brayan Rocchio in the back of the head. It\u2019s like, \u2018Oh. He\u2019s calm, chill.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

The afternoon of July 30, Kwan approached his locker before batting practice. The All-Star left fielder was doing his best to block out trade chatter, but he was finding it difficult to escape.<\/p>\n

Ram\u00edrez shouted to a couple of reporters standing nearby and asked if they wanted to interview Kwan on his \u201clast day.\u201d Kwan couldn\u2019t help but smile and shake his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not trying to be funny,\u201d Ram\u00edrez told The Athletic. \u201cThis is who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

Teammates know to steer clear of Ram\u00edrez the hour before first pitch as he snaps into game mode. But in the hours beforehand, whether the team\u2019s riding a winning streak, or dealing with a skid, trade rumors or a pitching staff-rattling gambling investigation, he\u2019s always there to ease the tension.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat guy is going to be a Hall of Famer,\u201d said reliever Erik Sabrowski. \u201cBut he\u2019s as much a part of the team as anyone else. If you\u2019re on your phone, he\u2019ll whack you in the back of your head and yell, \u2018Hang out!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything,\u201d said catcher Austin Hedges, \u201cstarts with Jos\u00e9.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the Los Angeles Dodgers traveled to Cleveland in late May, a group of visiting writers chatted with Ram\u00edrez at his locker about Shohei Ohtani. A reporter noted Ram\u00edrez has slugged more home runs than the global icon, but Ram\u00edrez countered that adding Ohtani\u2019s numbers in Japan derails his case. He wasn\u2019t bothered by that conclusion, though.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m more beautiful,\u201d Ram\u00edrez quipped.<\/p>\n

Ram\u00edrez arrived at his locker one afternoon this summer and peered across the room to a table, where a few teammates were playing cards. Lane Thomas was sitting in one chair, with a cast on his right foot.<\/p>\n

Ram\u00edrez, naturally, challenged him to a fight.<\/p>\n

Thomas laughed it off and suggested Ram\u00edrez brawl with Daniel Schneemann instead.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Ram\u00edrez objected, \u201cSchnee is my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe can act like a kid, but it\u2019s funny because it\u2019s Jos\u00e9,\u201d Kwan said. \u201cHe\u2019s wild.\u201d<\/p>\n

It was at a round, wooden card table like that where Ram\u00edrez first found comfort in a big-league clubhouse. In 2016, Ram\u00edrez\u2019s breakout season, he grew close to Juan Uribe and Carlos Santana. But it was Mike Napoli who spearheaded the change in Ram\u00edrez.<\/p>\n

The two played cards daily in the center of the clubhouse. Some days, there was conversation. Other days, they didn\u2019t need to say a word.<\/p>\n

The bond they formed proved to Ram\u00edrez that he could connect with any teammate, regardless of background, language or status. Napoli was Cleveland\u2019s cleanup hitter, a free-agent addition seeking one final power-filled season. Ram\u00edrez was making one final effort to prove he deserved daily at-bats.<\/p>\n

Ram\u00edrez wound up hitting behind Napoli in the lineup that season, as he emerged as one of Cleveland\u2019s most reliable sources of offense. Finally, his patented strut \u2014 a confident waddle, with his arms swinging like giant pendulums \u2014 had merit. He could exhale. And now, he\u2019s working on a decade of prolific, big-league performance.<\/p>\n

By 2022, Ram\u00edrez was the unquestioned leader of the roster, and manager Terry Francona urged him to set the tone for a group that had undergone a youth movement. Ram\u00edrez was never going to be the type to demand a player meeting, but he\u2019d challenge a teammate, point out a pitcher\u2019s tells or tendencies from the dugout, support teammates (just ask Tim Anderson<\/a>) and, more than anything, lead by example with his hustle.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ram\u00edrez and Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson got into it in 2023, resulting in suspensions for both players. (Ken Blaze \/ USA TODAY)<\/p>\n

\u201cHe wants to win so bad, you can smell it,\u201d Hedges said. \u201cHe wants to win so bad. And when your best player wants to win as bad or more than everybody else, works as hard or harder than anybody else \u2014 talk about inspiring. That\u2019s what true leaders do, they inspire, sometimes with their words, sometimes with their actions, sometimes with their presence. He does all of those.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has mentored Angel Mart\u00ednez, Gabriel Arias, Brayan Rocchio, even Deyvison De los Santos, a Rule 5 pick who spent only a spring camp with the organization. He had long talks last year with Estevan Florial, who came and went. Since George Valera joined the big-league roster at the start of September, he has clung to Ram\u00edrez like a burr.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe connects with anyone,\u201d infielder Tyler Freeman said one afternoon at Yankee Stadium last October.<\/p>\n

Right on cue, Ram\u00edrez approached Freeman in the visitors\u2019 dugout.<\/p>\n

\u201cBro, remember,\u201d Ram\u00edrez told his teammate. \u201cYou need to pay me $200.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, you\u2019re right,\u201d Freeman said. \u201cYou\u2019re absolutely right.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freeman used to be Ram\u00edrez\u2019s stiffest competition in Mario Kart. They\u2019d wager $100 per match, though Ram\u00edrez \u2014 who signed a $141 million extension in 2022 \u2014 occasionally challenges teammates for a bit more, even if they\u2019re earning the six-figure league minimum, like Freeman is.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s challenged me for $1 million,\u201d Freeman said.<\/p>\n

And when Freeman declined, Ram\u00edrez upped the demand to $2 million.<\/p>\n

Ram\u00edrez softened his stance and presented an idea befitting of his confidence in his Mario Kart ability \u2014 or his ability in anything, really.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he puts (up) $100,\u201d Ram\u00edrez said, \u201cI\u2019ll put (up) $1 million.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ramirez isn\u2019t just looking to make his teammates laugh. He\u2019s also looking to keep them on edge, off-balance, and ready for anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe shock value stuff is really good,\u201d Kwan said. \u201cHe knows how to push people\u2019s buttons, poke them. He knows what he\u2019s doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

One coach described his brutally honest evaluation of teammates as \u201cZack Greinke-esque folklore,\u201d as if Ram\u00edrez is reading others\u2019 mean tweets. Since it\u2019s in person and not behind their back, however, and because it\u2019s Ram\u00edrez, they take it well \u2014 and seriously.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s going through his routines, getting ready for the day and then the smallest thing will happen and he\u2019ll go 100% yelling at this person, teasing them,\u201d Kwan said. \u201cHis voice is really high-pitched and loud and he talks so freaking fast. Outside looking in, it\u2019s like, \u2018Wow, he\u2019s pissed at this guy.\u2019 But you know he\u2019s just yelling because he wants to be a diva today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ram\u00edrez has told teammates he would designate them for assignment if he were general manager. He has taken ground balls at others\u2019 positions before games to tease them about how easy their spot is to defend.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not as harsh as it may sound. Ram\u00edrez strikes a healthy balance between roastmaster and motivator, and he chooses the perfect moment to deliver the critique.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m passionate about the younger guys,\u201d Ram\u00edrez said. \u201cI see some potential to be really good players that resembles what I went through early on. I had my struggles early in my career. I know this is a process. It takes time and you have to have confidence and patience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not when you\u2019re at the lowest of low,\u201d said Kai Correa, Cleveland\u2019s field coordinator and director of defense, strategy and baserunning. \u201cIt\u2019s when he feels like you\u2019re on the way up and it\u2019s time for the last kick in the ass.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn those times of silliness,\u201d Kwan said, \u201cif he goes straight-faced and tells you something, it\u2019s like, \u2018Oh, I\u2019m gonna listen to him. He\u2019s telling me something I need to hear.\u2019 You can\u2019t get mad at him.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s calculated. And he\u2019s always stirring the pot.<\/p>\n

He likes to tell one coach that another coach is livid with them, just to create some friction before the coaches converse and realize Ram\u00edrez invented the whole thing. Last month, a few of Cleveland\u2019s coaches caught up with Antoan Richardson, the Mets\u2019 first base coach who crossed paths with Correa, Craig Albernaz and Stephen Vogt in San Francisco. Ram\u00edrez told them that if Richardson was on Cleveland\u2019s staff, he would be on pace for 50 stolen bases, not 40.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know who I can mess around and joke with,\u201d Ram\u00edrez said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever he wants to talk,\u201d said reliever Hunter Gaddis, \u201che says, \u2018I have to say something.\u2019 Every time, I know it\u2019s gonna be something good.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHis other catchphrase,\u201d Sabrowski said, \u201cis, \u2018I swear to God, bro.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Ram\u00edrez occasionally likes to tell reporters, \u201cNo hablo ingl\u00e9s,\u201d when they approach him. Once, when a reporter then offered to converse in Spanish, he countered, in perfect English, \u201cI don\u2019t speak Spanish.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s hilarious when he asks (teammates) if they have any change,\u201d said pitcher Tanner Bibee, \u201cand then he brings out the fattest stack of money possible and says, \u2018Thank you, bro. I don\u2019t need it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked to sign a white jersey for Shaquille O\u2019Neal last summer, Ram\u00edrez chirped that \u201cDJ Diesel\u201d would have to pay him before he scribbles his name on anything.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ram\u00edrez, teammate Brayan Rocchio and coach J.T. Maguire took in the total solar eclipse before the 2024 home opener. (Mike Lawrie \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

As a couple teammates debated where San Francisco ranks on their list of favorite\/least favorite ballparks, they mentioned how difficult it is to hit well there. Ram\u00edrez, walking past, said he\u2019d sign to play there without hesitating \u2014 provided the Giants handed him $1 billion. He regularly urges reporters to relay to team president Chris Antonetti that he should tack on some years and zeroes to his contract so he can chase down various franchise records.<\/p>\n

He always has an offer of some sort ready for any stranger standing near his locker: a $100,000 price tag for his CyberTruck, a $10,000 reward if you sample his chewing tobacco, a free plate of ribs from the kitchen. It\u2019s impossible not to wonder whether there\u2019s a catch.<\/p>\n

One morning this spring, Ram\u00edrez flaunted his new gold Rolex to teammates. When he showed it to a member of the team\u2019s PR staff, he simply offered him the watch for free. His antics tend to leave everyone on the same wavelength: He\u2019s joking \u2026 right?<\/p>\n

One afternoon in Baltimore last June, Ram\u00edrez asked Fry what time first pitch was. This is one of Ram\u00edrez\u2019s favorite bits. Even if they\u2019ve congregated in the clubhouse at 9:30 a.m., he\u2019ll pretend he doesn\u2019t know whether the Guardians have a day game or a night game \u2014 or a game at all. One day in late May, while readying for batting practice, he shouted to a teammate: \u201cDo we have a game today?\u201d<\/p>\n

On that day in Baltimore, Fry pointed to a screen that displayed the 6:35 p.m. first-pitch time.<\/p>\n

To try to connect with his teammate, Fry offered the time in Spanish. \u201cSeis treinta y cinco.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShut up, dude,\u201d Ram\u00edrez replied, in English.<\/p>\n

When the Guardians recently held a small ceremony to recognize reliever Jakob Junis reaching eight years of MLB service time, Ram\u00edrez halted the proceedings to take credit for Junis\u2019 achievement. Junis, he explained, has never struck out another hitter more than he has Ram\u00edrez.<\/p>\n

The third baseman may deliver a speech in Cooperstown one day. Perhaps then, the world will get a glimpse into not only what makes Ram\u00edrez special on the diamond, but behind the scenes as well. In a season full of turmoil for the Guardians, their superstar\u2019s light-hearted leadership style has paved a path forward.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s the No. 1 most impressive at flipping a switch, to go from pure silliness to absolute killer,\u201d Hedges said. \u201cThat part makes me laugh. Like, I just watched you be the silliest person of all time and then just put together the most incredible at-bat I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n

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