Subscribe
Follow Us
The Cleveland Guardians have surprisingly been one of the best teams in the MLB this season, and that's due in large part to the continued greatness of Jose Ramirez. The Guardians star third baseman has long been one of the more unheralded stars in the game, but he's been one of the best hitters in the game this season. However, a rather miniscule play has led Ramirez to make quite a bold Barry Bonds claim.
While Bonds' legacy is tainted by steroid use in the eyes of some, he is one of the greatest sluggers in MLB history. It got to the point where pitchers were intentionally walking Bonds with the bases loaded in order to avoid having to pitch to him in those situations. So when Ramirez drew a bases-loaded walk on four pitches in the Guardians 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday, he hilariously declared that he was a better player than Bonds.
“I'm better than Barry Bonds.” – Jose Ramirez, Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast
Jose Ramirez asserts himself as one of the MLB's biggest stars
While Ramirez is (likely) joking about this Bonds quip, it shows a couple of things. For starters, he's remarkably confident in his abilities on the diamond, and based on the career he's had, that's not a surprise. But it also shows how Ramirez is intent on proving he is, in fact, a superstar after he's spent much of his career getting overlooked by bigger name players.
Ramirez is a five-time All-Star and four-time Silver Slugger, and he's been among the best third basemen in baseball since he took over the Guardians full-time gig at the spot in 2016. So far in the 2024 campaign, Ramirez has been on fire (.266 BA, 15 HR, 54 RBI, 8 SB, .855 OPS), with his 54 runs batted in lead the league currently.
Even with the steroid controversy surrounding him, comparing oneself to Bonds is a big deal. Bonds holds the record for most home runs of all-time with 762, and he was also a 14-time All-Star, an eight-time Gold Glove winner, and a seven-time MVP. For much of his prime, it was simply impossible to pitch to Bonds, and he remains the greatest power hitter the game has ever seen.
Ramirez has a long way to go before he catches Bonds' and his many accolades, but if he can keep leading Cleveland to wins on a regular basis, that will probably be enough for him. This is a pretty hilarious claim from the Guardians' longtime star, and they will hope he can continue slugging away at the plate throughout his 30s just like Bonds did during his time in the league with the San Francisco Giants.
