By Nelson Santana and Emmanuel Espinal
August 13, 2026
Lea en español: Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: José Ramírez
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This article is part of a special ESENDOM series counting down, day by day, the 20 greatest Dominican baseball players of all time by WAR (Wins Above Replacement), the statistic that measures a player’s overall value to his team. NOTE: The list includes the WAR of baseball players up to the 2025 season, when the Spanish version of the series was published.
WAR (Wins Above Replacement) estimates how many additional wins a player contributes compared to a readily available Triple-A replacement who could fill the same roster spot. It has become the gold standard of modern baseball analysis because it combines every aspect of the game—offense, defense, baserunning, and pitching—into a single number, making it easier to distinguish players who truly change the outcome of games from those who simply occupy a roster spot.
The list includes players born in the Dominican Republic, such as Pedro Martínez and Juan Marichal, as well as United States-born players of Dominican heritage, including Alex Rodríguez and Moisés Alou. Through this series, we aim not only to revisit remarkable statistics but also to celebrate the cultural and athletic legacy these players have left on Major League Baseball and Dominican pride.
José Ramírez Does not Just Have a Street Named After Him in Cleveland. He Has an Entire City That Adopted Him.
José Ramírez does not just have a street named after him in Cleveland—he has an entire city that has embraced him, a franchise that secured his services through 2028, and a legacy already heading straight toward the Hall of Fame. The third baseman from Baní, small in stature but enormous in relentless production, has become the undisputed modern face of the Cleveland Guardians: clutch hits, decisive home runs, electrifying stolen bases, community commitment, and Dominican pride permanently displayed on a city street: “José Ramírez Way.”
Biography
José Enrique Ramírez was born on September 17, 1992, in Baní, Dominican Republic. He grew up in genuinely humble circumstances, playing against grown men from the age of 13 and dreaming of following the path of another famous native of Baní, Miguel Tejada.
Ramírez did not possess the imposing, prototypical physique scouts typically coveted. He wasn't a highly touted prospect destined for magazine covers. But he had lightning-fast hands, pure street instincts, and a work ethic that serious scouts recognize immediately.
Those qualities took him to Boca Chica in 2009, where he caught the attention of Cleveland scout Ramón Peña by doing something both simple and profoundly Dominican: he hit absolutely everybody. Ramírez collected 11 hits in four games and eventually signed for a modest $50,000 bonus. That was the beginning of the J-Ram project. Ramírez made his Major League debut on September 1, 2013, entering as a pinch runner—and scoring the winning run.
Welcome to the show.
By 2016, he was no longer simply another young player developed by Cleveland's system. He had become the unquestioned engine of the offense, batting .312 with 46 doubles, providing defense at multiple positions, and hitting .310 in the World Series against the Chicago Cubs.
From that point forward, Ramírez stopped being a valuable utility player and established himself as the indispensable everyday face of the franchise. Then came the truly monstrous seasons. Thirty-plus home runs. Thirty-plus stolen bases. One hundred-plus RBIs. Repeated All-Star selections. Silver Slugger Awards piling up. Entire seasons in which Ramírez practically carried Cleveland's offense on his back.
In 2022, he signed a historic extension—five years and more than $124 million guaranteed, including a full no-trade clause. It represented something increasingly unusual in the ruthless economics of modern professional sports: a Latino superstar choosing to remain in a smaller market rather than chase an enormous payday in free agency and effectively declaring, “This is my home.”
Cleveland responded with something money cannot buy: belonging.
First came José Ramírez Field, a youth baseball diamond with synthetic turf that he helped finance alongside the organization.
Then, in 2025, came an actual street: “José Ramírez Way.”
He became the first active athlete in the city to receive that extraordinary honor.
A Dominican from Baní with his own street in Ohio.
That is not an accident. That is permanent cultural impact.
Statistics and Legacy
By the numbers alone, José Ramírez has already established himself as a historic player.
Across his first 12 seasons, he accumulated more than 1,600 hits, 280-plus home runs, and 280-plus stolen bases, while maintaining a batting average around .280 with an exceptional combination of power and plate discipline.
He has produced multiple 30-30 seasons—at least 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases—including in 2018 and 2024, an exceedingly rare accomplishment for a modern third baseman.
Ramírez also entered the exclusive 250-250 club, surpassing both 250 career home runs and 250 stolen bases. He became the first primary third baseman in Major League history to reach those milestones and the first player to accomplish the feat with Cleveland. That places him in exceptionally rare territory—the kind of statistical distinction Hall of Fame voters tend to remember.
According to modern metrics, Ramírez has accumulated 58.2 career WAR, placing him among the elite Dominican players of his generation and bringing his career value into direct comparison with giants such as Sammy Sosa and Manny Ramírez, while moving steadily toward the historical territory occupied by Robinson Canó and Adrián Beltré.
And he has accomplished all of this with a compact 5-foot-9, 190-pound frame.
His collection of accolades includes six All-Star selections, four Silver Slugger Awards, and a selection to the All-MLB First Team. He has also been a perennial legitimate MVP contender, finishing third in voting in 2017, 2018, and 2020, and sixth in 2022.
Ramírez has also won Cleveland's Bob Feller Man of the Year Award multiple times, recognizing his value to the organization both on and off the field.
Beyond the statistics, however, lies the deeper symbolism. For Cleveland, Ramírez represents the living bridge between the old Indians era and the franchise's new identity as the Guardians.
For the Dominican Republic, he offers tangible evidence that Dominican baseball excellence is no longer defined solely by home runs and spectacle. It can also represent unwavering loyalty, genuine community engagement, and sustained social investment.
Conclusion
Not every hero arrives with a massive marketing campaign.
Some arrive with a worn glove, a quiet smile, and a violent switch-hitting swing.
José Ramírez may stand only 5-foot-9, but his stature within Cleveland has become legendary. He has a street—literally paved in his name. He has children in Baní playing on a field bearing his name and children in Ohio trying to swing the bat exactly like he does.
And he possesses something even more difficult to measure than WAR: credibility.
When Cleveland says, “This is our guy,” it says it with a distinctly Dominican accent.
Related:
Top 20 Dominican MLB Players by WAR: George Bell
Top 20 Dominican MLB Players by WAR: Moisés Alou
Top 20 Dominican MLB Players by WAR: Nelson Cruz
Top 20 Dominican MLB Players by WAR: Felipe Alou
Top 20 Dominican MLB Players by WAR: Juan Soto
Top 20 Dominican MLB Players by WAR: Julio Franco
Top 20 Dominican MLB Players by WAR: Tony Fernández
Top 20 Dominican MLB Players by WAR: Bartolo Colón
Top 20 Dominican MLB Players by WAR: Miguel Tejada
Top 20 Dominican MLB Players by WAR: César Cedeño
Top 20 Dominican MLB Players by WAR: David Ortiz
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: George Bell
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: Moisés Alou
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: Nelson Cruz
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: Felipe Alou
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: Juan Soto
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: Julio Franco
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: Tony Fernández
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: Bartolo Colón
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: Miguel Tejada
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: César Cedeño
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: David Ortiz
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: José Ramírez
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: Sammy Sosa
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: Vladimir Guerrero
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: Manny Machado
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: Juan Marichal
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: Robinson Canó
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: Manny Ramírez
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: Pedro Martínez
Top 20 dominicanos MLB por WAR: Adrián Beltré