By now, we know that those who accumulate the most RBI in MLB are not necessarily the best hitters.
The stat is not directly tied with hitting performance, but it does require some offensive skill, a knack for hitting with people on base, and tells us a lot about the quality of the lineup around the league leaders.
When it comes to driving in runs, Cleveland Guardians star Jose Ramirez has been the best in the league in 2024.
So yes, in this specific case, the league leader in runs batted in is, in fact, a fantastic hitter overall.
It can happen, too!
FOX Sports: MLB posted the MLB leaderboard in the statistical category, and the Guardians star has managed to build an impressive lead.
José Ramirez is on a TEAR. 😳 pic.twitter.com/9aZ3b3fIJP
Ramirez has played 53 games and has accumulated 54 RBI to this point.
That’s very impressive and says a lot about the Guardians hitters in front of Ramirez and about the latter’s incredible situational hitting.
Ramirez has a .592 OPS with no runners on base.
That number increases dramatically with runners on (1.138) and runners in scoring position (1.104).
That, combined with the notable contributions from the likes of Steven Kwan and Andres Gimenez, explain J-Ram’s incredible RBI total.
His current end-of-the-season projection is 165 RBI, which would be, rather easily, a career-high and the highest number in the American League in quite some time.
After a rather slow start this year, the perennial MVP candidate is already sporting a .855 OPS with 15 home runs and a .537 OPS.
He is truly a special hitter of incalculable value to the Guards.