When Jose Ramirez slumps, the Guardians follow suit | Opinion

Jul. 6—If you've been paying attention to the Guardians of late after a scorching start to the month of June and Jose Ramirez playing like an MVP candidate, you may be wondering where the offense went.

In their last 19 games from June 18 to July 5, the Guardians have scored 62 runs, averaging 3.26 runs per contest. During their first 60 games, the team scored 277 runs, good for a 4.61 runs per game figure.

What changed in the prior nineteen games where Cleveland has gone 7-12? The offense hasn't been anywhere near as good from when they stood at 33-27 through those first sixty contests.

It's no coincidence the Guardians have fallen into a bit of a rut with Ramirez mired in a deep slump. He is the heartbeat of the team, having inked a seven-year extension to stay in Cleveland that was agreed to just prior to the start of the 2022 season.

It was reported back in mid-June that Ramirez had a sore right thumb. The team shut him down for a few days. He missed the final two games of their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the first games he had missed all year. The Guardians were held to only two hits in the first of the two games without the All-Star third baseman, showing how badly they needed a healthy Ramirez plugged into the No. 3 spot in Terry Francona's lineup.

When Ramirez returned on June 21 against Minnesota, he entered the game with a .305/.397/.642 line, good for a 1.039 OPS (on-base plus slugging).

From June 21 through July 5, he's managed just 14 hits in 61 at-bats without a home run (the last one came June 10), one RBI, seven doubles, and four walks to 12 strikeouts, leading to a measly .229/.283/.344 over that span. Ramirez's season line sits at .289/.374./.578, good for a .952 OPS, a bit disappointing for a player of Ramirez's caliber.

When a team such as the Guardians comes to rely on their star hitter to pilot the ship, the rest of the production suffers when he's not playing at his MVP level standards. Put simply, the Guards' offense will only go as far as Ramirez goes, which isn't very far right now.

The combination of the youth movement coming up from the minor leagues and the steady veteran presence in Ramirez piqued the interest of fans who wanted something to root for. But Cleveland lost six of nine at the end of last month after starting June off with a 15-4 record.

Ever since Ramirez's production took a dive, the team has looked more like last year's anemic offense that, combined with a battered pitching staff, ended an eight-year streak of finishing .500 or better under Francona after he took over the managerial post in advance of the 2013 season following the firing of Manny Acta. It was the same, toothless offense that was no-hit a record three times over nine innings, and one unofficial seven-inning no-hitter against Tampa Bay.

Cleveland missed out on offseason trade targets like first baseman Matt Olson to fortify their lineup against this kind of slump, wanting to see the fruits of their labor from the minors. Their biggest expenditure was a major-league contract for veteran catcher Luke Maile in free agency, a backup catcher.

Chris Antonnetti and Mike Chernoff did sign several key players to extensions, including outfielder Myles Straw (who hasn't hit a lick all year), closer Emmanuel Clase, and of course, Ramirez.

Their window to contention looked to be opening a year early within a weakened American League Central Division and one of the best farm systems in the game on the cusp of graduating several prospects to the big league team. That's why the Bobby Bradley's and Bradley Zimmer's of the world were jettisoned — to make room for the exciting, new talent the Guardians have been developing for the past few years.

Hitting prospects Oscar Gonzalez, Steven Kwan and Gabriel Arias have made their big-league debuts this year. Tyler Freeman, Nolan Jones and Will Brennan may not be far behind, with Bo Naylor and George Valera expected in Cleveland sometime next year.

Bringing any one of Freeman, Jones or Brennan up now with the team slumping might provide a jolt, and perhaps give Ramirez a chance to rest a little bit with the All-Star break nearly a week and a half away.

Getting Ramirez healthy and back to peak form is critical to the Guardians' plans heading into the Aug. 2 trade deadline, with the stockpile of prospects at every level of the minors, especially pitching, with Antonetti and Chernoff capable of adding a win-now piece to their lineup with multiple years of control or a short-term piece that won't put a dent into their prospect depth.

This can still be a fun summer on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario. Jose is the guy in Cleveland. Everyone sees his hustle on the base paths, his hard work to reach the heights of superstardom, and the passion he plays with night in and night out. The energy he gives off is contagious and spreads like a wildfire.

Though if a prolonged Ramirez slump continues for a few more weeks, the Guardians could follow suit heading into the dog days of summer.