Jose Ramirez has been so good for so long for the Cleveland Guardians that it's become easy to take what he does on the diamond for granted. He may have posted his worst season in a long time in 2026, as he posted an OPS of .688, his worst tally since 2015, which contributed to an overall decline in value. But in the postseason, Ramirez is showing why he's still a Guardians legend.
Ramirez, in Game 1 of the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays, had an excellent all-around game. He went 3-5 from the plate to go along with an RBI, playing a huge role in their 7-3 victory to take a 1-0 lead in the series. And in recording another RBI, Ramirez now has eight runs batted in this year's postseason, all of which have come over the past four games – all Cleveland wins.
As per Francys Romero of Beisbol FR, Ramirez's eight RBIs over a four-game span is the most for a Guardians player since Jim Thome, who also had eight over a four-game span in 1999.
It's clear that Ramirez is the beating heart of this Guardians squad. The team has improved enough to still be good even though he wasn't at his best during the regular season, but it reaches its peak when Ramirez is firing on all cylinders.
Article Continues BelowIn six games thus far this postseason, Ramirez has two home runs, eight runs batted in, and eight runs on a slash line of .348/.444/.739. There's no better time for Ramirez to round back into form than in the postseason, where the stakes are at their highest.
Ramirez has the opportunity to get redemption for the Guardians' heartbreaking postseason run in 2016, when they fell to the Chicago Cubs in seven games in the World Series. It's still way too early to be talking about the Fall Classic, as they need to win three more games, but a golden opportunity is staring them at the face – which they seem to be making the most out of.

