CLEVELAND, Ohio — It’s almost certainly won’t happen because of a couple of big reasons named Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, but what if it did?
What if Jose Ramirez finds his power stroke in the last two weeks of the season and becomes the first Cleveland player to go 40-40? He’s already topped 100 runs and 100 RBI.
What if Francisco Lindor continues to do what he’s doing for the New York Mets as they fight for a wild card spot in the National League?
Could these two former occupants of the left side of Cleveland’s infield be the MVPs of the American and National League in the same season?
The Guardians, trying to win the AL Central, have fallen off a cliff offensively since the All-Star break. Ramirez has not taken the plunge.
The All-Star third baseman was hitting .271 (100 for 369) with 20 doubles, 23 homers, 77 RBI and 18 steals at the break. He entered Saturday’s game against the Rays hitting .267 (54 for 202) with 13 doubles, 11 homers, 29 RBI and 21 steals.
Illustration by Ted Crow for Crowquill. Francisco Lindor and the Mets wrap up their three-game series with former teammate Jose Ramirez and the Guardians today.Ted Crow
It’s not good enough to beat MVP favorites Judge or Bobby Witt Jr., but it could get Ramirez another top five finish in the voting by the Baseball Writers Association of America. Ramirez has finished second (once), third (twice), fourth (once), sixth (once) and 10th (once) in the MVP voting.
The Guardians traded Lindor to the Mets in January of 2021. The Mets gave him big deal that Cleveland wouldn’t, but his on-the-field performance has been a mixed bag under the big lights of New York.
This is his fourth year with the Mets, but he has yet to go to an All-Star, something he did four times in Cleveland. He hasn’t won a Gold Glove to go along with the two he won as an Indian, and his best MVP showing were two ninth place finishes.
This year Lindor’s hitting .270 (162 for 606) with 39 doubles, 31 homers and 86 RBI. He’s scored 103 runs and stolen 27 bases in 31 attempts as the Mets try to hold off Atlanta for the last wild card spot.
Like Ramirez, Lindor has a big object in his way. Ohtani is hitting .290 (166 for 571) with 30 doubles, 47 homers and 104 RBI for the Dodgers. He’s stolen 48 bases in 52 attempts. It means he needs three homers and two steals to become the first 50-50 Man in MLB history.
In Lindor’s defense, he has the two-way edge this year. Ohtani has not been able to pitch this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.
It probably won’t be enough to get him the MVP, but at least Lindor is looking like Lindor again.
Travis Bazzana, the first overall pick in the 2024 draft, is currently playing for the Lake County Captains in the Midwest League championship series.Phil Long, AP
Fast track
Right-hander Andrew Walters made his big league debut Thursday night for Cleveland after being drafted in 2023. Could Travis Bazzana be on the same path come 2025?
Bazzana, the Guardians first-ever No. 1 overall pick in the draft, went 2 for 4 with a homer and two RBI on Thursday as Class A Lake County advanced to the Midwest League championship series with a 5-4 win over Dayton.
The Guardians usually sequester their annual draft class at their spring training site in Goodyear, Arizona. A few, if any, of those players are allowed to advance to one kof their affiliates.
Bazzana, however, was sent straight to Lake County, Cleveland’s high A team. They wanted to challenge him because he was from an elite college program, Oregon State. Bazzana hit .238 (24 for 61) with three homers and 12 RBI in 27 games.
Pitchers have a better chance of moving quickly through an organization than position players. As the old saying goes, “home plate doesn’t move, but the ball does.”
“It was an interesting challenge to start your professional career right out of college and go to high A,” said Chris Antonetti, Guardians’ president of baseball operations. “Travis has done really well with the work he’s put in and learning he’s done from the experience of what professional baseball has been like.
“Right now they’re in the postseason, so he can experience playing meaningful games in that environment. . .Knowing Travis, I think he’ll really attack this offseason and really work to continue to improve.”
The Guardians gave Bazzana a $8.9 million signing bonus.
Former Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore has had his hands full as interim manager of a White Sox team headed toward MLB’s worst season in the modern era.AP
Nationwide search
Former Indians Gold Glove center fielder Grady Sizemore has made a good impression as interim manager despite the White Sox’s relentless march toward an MLB record number losses in the modern era (1901).
The 1962 Mets hold the record with 120 losses. The White Sox are 33-115 headed into Saturday with 14 games left to play. They’ve lost four straight and eight of their last 10 games.
“It’s been pretty cool seeing him as a manager,” said Josh Barfield, White Sox’s assistant GM and a former teammate of Sizemore’s in Cleveland. “Just seeing how the players and staff respect him. He’s done a great job handing a difficult situation, it’s been really, really cool. I’m proud of him.”
No matter how this season ends, however, it does not sound like Sizemore will be named the fulltime manager for 2025. The White Sox say they’re going to do an in-depth and lengthy search to find a manager can put this season behind them and begin a rebuild.
Sizemore, meanwhile, is enjoying himself.
“As the manager you’re a big part of that competitive edge,” said Sizemore. “It’s the competitor in me. It’s knowing that you’re competing every night and you’re at the head of that (effort) that gives me motivation.”
