José Ramírez Cleveland Guardians News: Surgery Coming On Right Hand, Silver Slugger Finalist, 2023

The Cleveland Guardians greatly surpassed expectations in 2022, winning 92 games en route to the franchise’s first AL Central division title in four years.

Once again, franchise star José Ramírez led the way with one of the best seasons in his illustrious Guardians career. The 30-year-old hit .280 with 29 homers, a career-high 126 RBI and an OPS of .869.

Making all of this especially impressive? Per Zack Meisel of The Athletic, Ramírez actually played through a right hand injury that will require surgery. Ramírez opted against surgery midseason, not wanting to miss time. 

Meisel noted at the time (Oct. 19), that surgery for Ramírez would take place “in the coming weeks.” Per ESPN’s Enrique Rojas, Rafa Nieves — Ramírez’s agent — stated that the Guardians star should be ready for spring training. 

The Buckeye State is scheduled to launch mobile/online sports betting on Jan. 1, 2023, so Guardians fans will be able to place wagers on their team at the start of next season. There is also a special FanDuel Ohio promo that will give customers $100 in free bets on the day of launching as well as a $1,000 “No Sweat First Bet.”

Ramírez & Giménez Named Nominees For Silver Slugger Award

Ramírez will have another opportunity to add more hardware to his trophy room. On Friday, the four-time All-Star and Andrés Giménez were named finalists for the Silver Slugger Award.

The Silver Slugger is given to the best offensive player at each position. MLB managers and coaches, who are barred from voting on players from their teams, vote on the winners each year.

Giménez is one of four nominees for the Silver Slugger Award among American League second basemen, along with Jose Altuve (Houston Astros), Marcus Semien (Texas Rangers) and D.J. LeMahieu (New York Yankees).

The 24-year-old Giménez had a phenomenal first full season in the majors, finishing with a .287 batting average, 17 homers, 69 RBI and an OPS of .837.

Ramírez, Rafael Devers (Boston Red Sox), Matt Chapman (Toronto Blue Jays), and Alex Bregman (Houston astros) are the four AL nominees at third base. A three-time Silver Slugger Award winner, Ramírez won the honors in 2017, 2018 and 2020.

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Early 2023 Prediction: Guardians Will Repeat As AL Central Champions

Some viewed the Guardians as a wild card contender at best heading into 2022, but they weren’t supposed to win the division. The crown was supposed to go to the star-studded Chicago White Sox, who were a trendy pick to win the World Series as well.

But a string of injuries and underwhelming seasons from several star players led to a disappointing 81-81 finish for Chicago. Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa announced a second retirement for health reasons.

If not the White Sox, the Minnesota Twins were supposed to be the kings of the AL Central. They landed former Houston Astros superstar Carlos Correa in free agency and acquired power-hitting catcher Gary Sánchez and the versatile Gio Urshela in a blockbuster trade with the New York Yankees.

But the Twins are likely to lose Correa in free agency, and the White Sox appear to be in a retooling phase. They seem ready to part ways with longtime mainstay José Abreu, and if he doesn’t come back, there’s already a gaping hole in the lineup.

Because Minnesota isn’t a team to spend top dollar in free agency, fans shouldn’t hold out hope on ownership finding a big-named replacement for Correa. 

The Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers were widely expected to improve in 2022, but it’s quite evident that their rebuilds are far from over. Neither of these teams are anywhere close to contending.

But the sky’s the limit for Terry Francona’s Guardians. Ramírez is still one of baseball’s greatest game-changers. Giménez, Ramírez, Steven Kwan and Amed Rosario lead a deep lineup that could land even more power in free agency this offseason.

Shane Bieber and Cal Quantrill round out one of baseball’s best rotations, too. The Guardians were so close to upsetting the powerhouse New York Yankees in the ALDS. There is no shame in falling one game short to a team that came into 2022 with much higher expectations than Cleveland.

As it stands, the Guardians look to be the heavy favorites to win the AL Central. The early prediction here is that they’ll finish 93-69 to repeat as division champions.