José Ramírez has Rays pitchers thinking ahead as Guardians prepare for ALCS

GuardiansJosé Ramírez already on the minds of Rays pitchers ahead of ALCS showdownCleveland Guardians' Jose Ramirez reacts after hitting a two-run home run off Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Sean Burke during the fourth inning of Game 5 of baseball's American League Division Series, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2026, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)AP Photo/Phil LongCLEVELAND, Ohio — Griffin Jax knows what it’s like to face José Ramírez. The problem isn’t just what Cleveland’s superstar third baseman can do with a pitch. It’s that Ramírez often knows what pitch is coming before it leaves a pitcher’s hand.“He thinks along with you with the at-bat,” Jax said Sunday at Tropicana Field. “He knows who he’s facing. He knows the tendencies, the percentages, count-based stuff that is going to try to help give him an advantage.”Jax, who faced Ramírez regularly during his years with Minnesota, said the Guardians’ best player forces pitchers to constantly adjust their approach.Kevin Cash sees plenty of Cleveland in his Rays team as familiar foes prepare for ALCS showdownFormer Tribe pitcher Sam McDowell: A redemption story – Terry PlutoGuardians bullpen saves its best for last with record-setting strikeout performance in ALDS Game 5“If you’re facing a guy, you still need to go with your strengths,” Jax said. “But you can’t just fall in love with that. You’ve got to still have some level of unpredictability.”That challenge awaits Tampa Bay beginning Monday in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series. And after watching Ramírez almost single-handedly change the outcome of Cleveland’s decisive ALDS victory over Chicago, the Rays know exactly where to focus their attention.Ramírez launched a two-run home run in the fourth inning Saturday, providing all the offense Cleveland needed in a 2-0 victory. His sixth career postseason homer tied Albert Belle for third in franchise history. The pitch he drove into the right-field seats was just 0.74 feet off the ground, the lowest pitch hit for a postseason home run since tracking began in 2008.Drew Rasmussen, Tampa Bay’s Game 1 starter, said Ramírez was the first Cleveland hitter he studied while preparing for the possibility of facing the Guardians.“It’s crazy that we can probably all acknowledge he’s a top-10 player in the entire world, and yet I think he’s the most underrated player in all of baseball,” Rasmussen said. “What he can do from both sides of the plate is special, how he plays third base, his ability to run, they’re all off the charts.”Rasmussen called Ramírez a “one-of-a-kind talent” who sets off alarms during scouting preparation.“We saw it last night,” Rasmussen said. “His ability to change the outcome of a game with one swing, it’s phenomenal.”Manager Kevin Cash, who watched Ramírez develop during his time as a Cleveland coach, said the third baseman’s evolution into one of baseball’s elite players has been remarkable.“He’s incredible,” Cash said. “The type of teammate he is, we can all see what he does on the baseball field and how special of a player he is.”Cash said opposing teams must always account for where Ramírez is lurking in Cleveland’s batting order. Jax, meanwhile, sees a player whose intelligence makes his physical talent even more dangerous.“He’s on a Hall of Fame trajectory,” Jax said. “He’s an incredible player, one of my favorites to watch, actually.”Joe Noga has more than 25 years experience in Cleveland sports media with time spent covering Browns, Cavaliers and Indians/Guardians, as well as local high school and college sports and athletes. He covered a...This article was produced with assistance from AI tools and reviewed by Cleveland.com staff.