Jose Ramirez is proving why he’s the MLB postseason’s biggest X-Factor

It looked like the Cleveland Guardians‘ season was all but over when they went down two games to none in the ALDS against the Chicago White Sox. They had managed just three runs on seven hits in those two games, and were thoroughly outplayed on their home turf by a White Sox team that seemingly had all the confidence in the world.

Instead, a switch flipped when Cleveland made the trip to Chicago for Games 3 and 4. They scored a combined 18 runs on 21 hits across those two games, both victories, and now head home for a winner-take-all Game 5 on Saturday. What we’ve learned in this series is that if the Guardians want to win a World Series or even get past the White Sox, they’re going to need to score runs consistently. And if they’re going to score runs consistently, it’ll require the biggest X-factor of October, Jose Ramirez, to do what he did in the past two games on the South Side.

Jose Ramirez has led the Guardians’ ALDS comeback

What was notable about the first two games of this series was that Ramirez, a future Hall of Famer, went 0-for-6 with three strikeouts. He was a non-factor, and with that, it doesn’t feel like a coincidence that the Guardians failed to get much offense going. As bad as he was in Cleveland, though, the switch flipped when the series headed to Chicago.

Ramirez went 4-for-9 with a double, a triple and a home run at Rate Field. He was hitting the ball hard at will, and had a pair of incredibly clutch hits. He gave Cleveland needed insurance in Game 3 with a two-run triple, and then gave the Guardians the lead in Game 4 with a two-run homer. Ramirez hitting lasers all over the field, particularly in the clutch, is a wonderful thing for Stephen Vogt’s team.

The postseason is a time for stars to shine brightly. Ramirez performed like a star when the Guardians needed him most. If that continues, why can’t Cleveland go on a magical run, especially given what we saw from them in the regular season?

The Guardians go where Jose Ramirez takes them

Ramirez had, by all measures, the worst regular season of his career. He slashed .235/.320/.368 with 12 home runs and 53 RBI in 125 games. This is a guy who hit .283 with 30 home runs just last year. Obviously, his fractured hamate bone impacted him, particularly in the power department, but Ramirez still didn’t look like his usual star self enough. Even in a down year, though, the stats suggest that the Guardians win when Ramirez produces.

Could the difference be any starker? In games Cleveland won during the regular season, Ramirez essentially played like an All-Star, with virtually all of his home runs and RBI. In games the Guardians lost during the regular season, he performed like a player who didn’t even belong on a big-league roster. This trend remained the case in the first four games of this series.

This goes to show that if Ramirez can produce as he’s capable of, the Guardians will be tough to beat — especially with guys like Jo Adell, Chase DeLauter and Steven Kwan around him. If Ramirez cannot be productive, and the Guardians need to rely on Adell, DeLauter and Kwan to carry the load, this lineup just won’t be good enough to even get past Chicago (most likely), and especially not Tampa Bay in the ALCS.

As Ramirez goes, the Guardians go, and that’s what makes him the biggest X-factor of this year’s postseason.