The Show Notes #10: The Careers of José Ramírez & Francisco Lindor Are Inextricably Linked

A piece that puts one of The Integration Era's best third base-shortstop duos into a proper perspective

Introduction

The Cleveland Guardians franchise has a layered history with Black players from throughout the African diaspora contributing to its most successful teams of The Integration Era. Many Guardians fans are aware of the organization’s place at the forefront of The Integration Advantage in the American League and it wouldn’t be difficult to find a fan of the team who believes that a “Larry Doby Day” should exist in some form.

While Doby, starting pitcher Satchel Paige, and team owner Bill Veeck are frequently mentioned and celebrated for their contributions to the history and culture of the franchise, Afro-Cuban left fielder and Hall of Famer Minnie Miñoso gets overshadowed despite being equally important as the first Black player from Latin America to wear an MLB uniform with Cleveland in 1948.

José Ramírez and Francisco Lindor relished the opportunity to be part of Doby’s and Miñoso’s legacies during their time as teammates at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario. They are the two greatest switch-hitters of their generation with pronounced trajectories towards Cooperstown. Born a little over a year apart, the proximity of these two players is encapsulated in the fact that numbers worn by both are one digit away from each other.

On the other hand, their paths toward the majors could not have had more contrasts. Lindor was the ninth overall pick by Cleveland in the greatest draft class of the 21st century thus far after moving to Orlando, Florida from Gurabo, Puerto Rico at the age of 12 to join a noted prep academy’s baseball team. Cleveland quietly signed Ramírez for a paltry $50,000 dollar signing bonus out of Baní, Dominican Republic after a scout found him on a neglected field where a donkey grazed.

Climbing Through MiLB Together

Many within Cleveland’s front office and numerous pundits throughout the realms of baseball who kept a close eye on prospects thought Lindor had a safe floor and high ceiling as a full-time shortstop while Ramírez was a lackluster infielder who was destined for a role as a utility player. Despite these notions, Ramírez was the better hitter/baserunner and Lindor was the superior defender during their time together in the minors. This dynamic would carry over as they established themselves in the majors as two of the best infielders on the left side of the dirt in their age group and one of the best 3B/SS duos of The Integration Era.

These two infielders started playing together during the 2012 MiLB season for Cleveland’s Low-A affiliate. Lindor began the season with the Low-A affiliate after a severe knee injury limited him to only 5 games the year prior. Ramírez joined the Lake County Captains squad in June, at the middle point of the season. During the 2013 season, Ramírez would get pushed to Double-A to begin the year. Lindor started in High-A before getting promoted to Double-A in July to rejoin Ramírez on the infield. Lindor’s season was ended by injury in August while Ramírez got a cup of coffee on Cleveland’s 25-man roster in September at the age of 20.

Ramírez played at the Triple-A and MLB level during the 2014 season while Lindor gained experience with Cleveland’s Double-A and Triple-A affiliates. During the 2015 season, both Ramîrez and Lindor would split their time between Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate and the 25-man roster. Lindor turned heads with a .313/.353/.482 slash line during his rookie season in 2015, finishing second in AL Rookie of the Year voting behind fellow Puerto Rican shortstop Carlos Correa. Ramírez was middling during his 97 games with Cleveland, making it the first season where Lindor outperformed his counterpart and close comrade offensively while being on the same team.

Reaching Stardom Together

During the 2016 season, 22-year-old Lindor and 23-year-old Ramírez would both establish themselves as stars. Lindor went .301/.358/.435 with 99 runs scored, 30 doubles, 15 home runs, and 19 stolen bases as Cleveland’s full-time shortstop. Manning third base with cameos in left field, Ramírez went .312/.363/.462 with 56 doubles, 11 home runs, and 22 stolen bases. They led their team to a 94-win season and performed throughout a deep playoff run that saw Cleveland finish one foul ball away from winning the 2016 World Series. Lindor made his first All-Star appearance and won his first Gold Glove at shortstop. Ramírez did not receive as much acclaim, but he quietly established himself as one of the most talented infielders below the age of 25 in MLB.

They took another step forward into the tier of elite position players in 2017. They led Cleveland to 102 wins behind individual performances that saw them both finish in the top 5 for AL MVP voting. It was also their first of two consecutive years playing together on the American League All-Star team. Ramírez went .318/.374/.583 with 56 doubles, 29 home runs, and 17 steals. Lindor slashed .273/.337/.505 with 44 doubles, 33 home runs, and 15 steals.

The following year the switch-hitting duo improved upon their MVP-caliber seasons and claimed their place as one of the greatest 3B/SS combinations in MLB history. Lindor went .277/.352/.519 with 42 doubles and 38 home runs out of the leadoff spot for Cleveland and finished sixth in AL MVP voting. Finishing third in AL MVP voting for the second consecutive season, Ramírez logged a .270/.387/.552 slash line with 38 doubles, 39 home runs, and 34 stolen bases.

The 2019 season saw Lindor have a similar season to his prior two, eclipsing the 30-home run mark for the third straight season and playing his usual Gold Glove-level defense. It was his fourth season making the American League All-Star roster and at least 250 total bases. Ramírez struggled tremendously during the first half of the 2019 season, going .218/.308/.344 with only seven home runs in 364 plate appearances. He bounced back during the second half to the tune of a .327/.365/.739 slash line but only appeared in 44 games because of a broken hamate bone in late August.

During the shortened 2020 season Lindor would struggle offensively while Ramírez would carry the lineup to the playoffs with a .993 OPS. After the 2020 season, Lindor was traded to the New York Mets along with Cleveland fan favorite Carlos Carrasco for second baseman Andrés Giménez and shortstop Amed Rosario.

Stylistic Similarities

Ramírez and Lindor have many semblances in their styles of play despite the former being a bat-first player and the latter’s value being centered around his pristine defense at shortstop. They are both aggressive switch-hitters with pull-oriented approaches who make contact and hit the ball in the air at a high rate. The parallels in their hitting styles carry over to their career statistics.

Ramírez has batted .279/.353/.501 with 1406 total hits, 339 doubles, and 239 home runs in comparison to Lindor’s .272/.339/.471 career slash line with 1397 hits, 285 doubles, and 230 home runs. While Ramírez is a far more effective baserunner, he and his counterpart from Puerto Rico possess a noted amount of baserunning prowess that compliments their ability to accrue extra-base hits at a high rate. Lindor has accrued 172 stolen bases so far in his career and Ramírez has 218 stolen bases to his name.

Conclusion

These two infielders are more than just a great duo, they’re one of the best 3B/SS pairings in MLB history and Black Baseball history. They’re the most productive switch-hitters of the 2010s and 2020s while also being above-average baserunners and adept defenders at premium positions. Dan Szymborski of FanGraphs talked about how great Ramírez and Lindor were on a historical level in “Cleveland’s Left Side Is The Best Side”, a piece that was published in 2018. Lindor is arguably the most productive shortstop to wear a Cleveland uniform during The Integration Era and he accomplished that in only five seasons. Ramírez is on the trajectory of being the first or second greatest position player in the history of the Cleveland Guardians franchise barring unforeseen injury. These are two players with the tools and hunger to have bronze plaques in Cooperstown, New York one day.