CLEVELAND, Ohio – No one … ever?
That’s what I thought when hearing Jose Ramirez became the first player in the history of Cleveland baseball to have at least 35 homers and 35 stolen bases in the same season. He entered Monday night’s game with 39 steals and 35 home runs.
I tried to think of past Cleveland players who could have done that – those having the combination of speed and power.
When the Guardians recently played the White Sox, Grady Sizemore was the interim manager of that sad sack franchise.
For a few years, Sizemore had it all for Cleveland. He hit for power. He played a Gold Glove center field. He could steal bases.
In 2008, he hammered 33 homers and had 38 steals. That was his last fully healthy season in the majors. He was 25 years old.
Sizemore began suffering from back, knee and other injuries. For the rest of his career, he never played more than 112 games in a season. His stats were very normal to mediocre.
The other Cleveland player who came close was Joe Carter, who hit 32 homers with 31 stolen bases in 1987.
In 2008, Grady Sizemore had 33 homers and 38 stolen bases. It was his last fully healthy season in the majors.The Plain Dealer
The secret superstar
Oops, I forgot someone else … Jose Ramirez.
In 2018, he crushed 39 homers and stole 34 bases.
Ramirez … Carter … Sizemore.
Those are the only three players in the history of Cleveland baseball to have at least 30 homers and 30 steals in the same season.
Want to make it even harder? How about 30 homers, 30 steals and 100 RBI in the same season.
The only guy to ever do it for Cleveland is … you get one guess.
That’s Jose, who now has done it twice: 2018 and 2024.
Illustration by Ted Crow for Crowquill. Jose Ramirez is the first Guardian to make the 30/30 Club two times.Ted Crow
A secret quality
Something else is rarely mentioned … durability.
You not only have to play at an elite level to put 35 homers and 35 stolen bases next to your name in the same season – you have to play a lot of games.
Players who steal a lot of bases also have to slide a lot. That often means bruises, ankle sprains, jammed toes and pain as the body takes a pounding.
Consider how Ramirez runs the bases. He’s fearless. Head first slides. Helmet flying off. Sometimes ending up with a mouth full of dirt and having a fielder whack you in the back or even the head when trying to tag you out.
To some players who have the ability to do it, the physical price isn’t worth it.
Ramirez doesn’t steal bases simply to pile up numbers.
“It’s super impressive,” said Guardians manager Stephen Vogt. “Every single home run, every single stolen base, is calculated. It’s because of his hard work, because of the prep that he does, because of his ability. All of those things play into it. It’s not just by accident.”
Ramirez is likely to play at least 150 games this season. That will happen for the fourth year in a row and the seventh time in his 11-year career.
Former Cleveland manager Terry Francona talked about how Ramirez hated to miss a game. When he doesn’t play, he struts around the clubhouse and later the dugout – wanting to be a part of the action.
Sometimes, Francona said he ended up putting Ramirez into the lineup so he didn’t have to hear his star complain about sitting on the bench.
Jose Ramirez takes a physical beating because of his aggressive base running, but he rarely misses a game. He’s played at least 150 games seven times in his career. John Kuntz, cleveland.com
A little history
Ramirez isn’t the only 35-35 player this season. Shohei Ohtani entered Monday with 47 homers and 48 stolen bases. The Dodgers DH had never stolen more than 26 bases in a season until 2024.
Alfonso Soriano has the most 35-35 seasons. He did it three times. Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna has twice done it: 2023 and 2019.
The only others with more than one 35-35 season are Willie Mays, Bobby Bonds and his son, Barry Bonds. They all did it twice.
Then there’s Jose Ramirez making history now. Today (Sept. 17) is his 32nd birthday and this could end up being the best season of his career.
