Where does the Guardians’ José Ramírez rank on our list of The 40 Most Influential People In Cleveland Sports?

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Where does the Guardians’ José Ramírez rank on our list of The 40 Most Influential People In Cleveland Sports?

Where does the Guardians’ José Ramírez rank on our list of The 40 Most Influential People In Cleveland Sports?

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Everybody loves New York. Plenty of people diss Midwestern cities without visiting. And given the choice, historically, most athletes will choose a big city’s checkbook or television market over a smaller town’s depth of heart.

But Cleveland should’ve known that Guardians third baseman José Ramírez would choose differently.

Because at 5-foot-9, the six-time All-Star epitomizes a heart-over-hype mantra that clout-chasing money grabbers can’t understand.

Ramírez ranks sixth on cleveland.com’s list of The 40 Most Influential People in Cleveland Sports — in front of fellow franchise faces Donovan Mitchell (Cavs) and Myles Garrett (Browns) — because he ranks top-10 in home runs, hits, and runs scored by a Guardian, because his team owns the best winning percentage of any in town and, yes, because Ramírez signed a five-year $124 million extension two springs ago that simultaneously paid him the richest contract in franchise history and well below his market.

But he deserves this spot because few athletes’ spirits reflect their cities’ better than Ramírez’s does Cleveland’s, as reflected by his rationale for re-signing in 2022.

“For me, my priorities are more based on loyalty, not so much about ambitions,” Ramírez said through an interpreter then. “I’m aware of the player that I am, but for me … the loyalty and the opportunity to fulfill my career here for me is more important than anything else.”

No. 6. José Ramírez, Guardians third baseman

Call him an old soul, if not an outdated one. In the working world at large — forget sports for a second — the conceptual Company Man is a dying breed. Employees aim to stack bank accounts and climb corporate ladder rungs. They do not like waiting for either. In fact, according to a 2021 Gallup poll, 60% of millennial-aged workers were open to new employment opportunities when asked for the study, spawning a new label for Ramírez’s generational cohort:

Millennials: The job-hopping generation.

The nickname fits even better in Ramírez’s world, where careers (and earning potential) are limited and the corporate climbers are the most competitive people on earth.

Cleveland’s “original Guardian,” as Cleveland owner Paul Dolan dubbed Ramírez, is one of four active MLB players to log 12 seasons with their current teams. The NBA boasts three such success stories entering this season. And the NFL (eight players with 12 years in one city) is constantly reminding us why people joke that their acronym stands for “Not For Long.”

Why? Players have money to make, titles to win, legacies to build and maybe a decade of prime years with which to build them. Win enough and score enough, fans will remember you fondly. Make enough? You won’t care whether they do.

If today’s sports work force had a slogan, it might be “Look Out for No. 1,” which, for the record, is a smart way to manage any career.

But for sentimental types like Ramírez, smart management can hinder job fulfillment. By staying in Cleveland, Ramírez can not only climb the franchise leaderboards, where he ranks fourth in stolen bases, fifth in wins above replacement (WAR) and, within the next two seasons, could pass former Cleveland infielder Terry Turner for most games played in a Cleveland uniform.

But he also can also forge a connection with the people who watch him climb. He can reward the front office that, in Ramírez’s own (translated) words, “…. gave me the opportunity to become a professional player.” He can even add to an American city’s lexicon while conducting his interviews in Spanish.

Every Guardians fan knows Ramírez’s favorite pitch type to hit into the bleachers at Progressive Field: “Home run pitch.” They can all recite Tom Hamilton’s famous, “Down goes Anderson!” play-by-play highlight from Ramírez’s second-base spar session of last summer. And they all know what to sing when Cleveland’s favorite Juan Uribe-shaped player steps up to swing the bat like Hall of Fame third baseman Scott Rolen (Ramírez’s closest statistical batting comp, per baseballreference.com).

“Jo-saaaaaaaay, José-José-Jo-saaaaaaay. Jo-saaaaaaaay, Jo-saaaaaaaaay.”

What’s that arm-hair tingle worth to you? $100 million? A couple million Instagram followers? Ramírez sacrificed both banknotes and notoriety by sticking by a good old-fashioned, family-owned Midwestern company. City slickers love to diss Cleveland, and everybody hearts NY, but Guardians fans should’ve known Ramírez would think differently.

Because 12 years and four Silver Sluggers into his tenure, Ramírez has, historically, proven that he doesn’t chase ambition like a wayward breaking ball. He’s proven that company men do still exist.

And he’s proven that when a player’s spirit matches the city’s, the payoff is deeper than any rich man’s pockets.

The 40 Most Influential People in Cleveland Sports (so far):

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