Cleveland Indians: Where Jose Ramirez stands in latest MVP polling

Jose Ramirez has put on a show for Cleveland Indians fans this season, but is facing an uphill battle in the American League MVP race.

Cleveland Indians fans get to watch two MVP candidates take the field each and every day. And those candidates are still approaching their respective primes.

Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez have set themselves apart as perennial MVP contenders, although Ramirez has a better shot at the award in 2018. Though he still has a few other players to surpass in order to win the prestigious award.

An article on MLB.com shared a poll of MVP voters to gauge the MVP races in both the AL and NL. Mookie Betts currently leads the way in the AL, followed by Mike Trout and then Ramirez.

Betts currently leads the AL in batting average at .344 and is second in OPS right behind Trout. When taking a look at most offensive stats, the trio of Betts, Trout and Ramirez are at the top along with J.D. Martinez, who is also another MVP contender.

The one thing that stands out about Ramirez is that he dominates Trout and Betts in terms of traditional power numbers. He has 37 home runs and 91 RBIs. The only players with comparable numbers are Martinez and Khris Davis.

I am curious if Ramirez would be considered the favorite if he played in a city like Boston or Los Angeles. He is already a star here but he would be talked about nonstop if he was playing in such a large market. Oh well, I’d rather have him dominate in Cleveland for years to come.

There is still about six weeks to go so there is still time for Ramirez to go on a tear and put himself up there as the favorite to win the award. He just needs to break out of a mini-slump he is currently in. That shouldn’t be a problem.