Guardians' Owner Discusses Jose Ramirez's Legacy With Franchise

Jose Ramirez was already considered one of the top players in MLB, and is one of, if not the best, overall third baseman of the last decade.

After his recent contract extension with the Cleveland Guardians, he's now cementing himself as likely the organization's greatest player ever. 

Guardians majority owner Paul Dolan spoke with the media during Thursday’s press conference and discussed the legacy that Ramirez is leaving with the organization and Cleveland.

In the owner’s eyes, Ramirez will go down as the greatest player in franchise history. 

“It's an extraordinary thing, because we've seen some great players come and go, and don't begrudge them what they did in terms of moving on in their career, but when we have someone of Jose's stature, who is, by all appearences, going to spend his entire career here, that is so unique and, I think, really special for the franchise,” explained Dolan.


“We look forward, as I sort of mentioned in my opening remarks, that his name will be at the top of all of our career [record] lists. There may be a few Bob Feller fans who might argue differently, but I think Jose will come down as the greatest player in the history of our franchise. I don't know how to measure that, but I know that it's an extraordinary benefit to the franchise, and really great for our fans.”

There are two ways to look at Ramirez’s legacy: the overall stats that he’s put up in a Cleveland uniform, and how he’s chosen to stay in the organization and city that took him in and signed him back in 2009.

Looking at Cleveland’s franchise record books, Ramirez currently ranks second in RBI, home runs, and stolen bases, and seventh in hits, just to name a few.

As Dolan mentions, once Ramirez’s time with the Guardians is over, he could be at the top of just every single one of the team’s major stat categories.

The other side of this legacy if Ramirez is taking significantly less money to stay in Cleveland, not once, but twice. 

As Dolan alluded to, Cleveland has seen many incredible players come through the organization, but for various reasons, they’ve never stayed with the team long-term. Ramirez changes that narrative and will spend his entire career with the Guardians, in a large part because of what the city of Cleveland means to him both on and off the field. 

Given the impact Ramirez has already had on the franchise and city, there’s no doubt that he’ll get a statue outside of the ballpark once his playing career is over to commemorate his incredible legacy.

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