J-Ram, Kwan announced as 2024 All-Star Game starters for Guardians

CLEVELAND -- Prior to the Guardians' game against the White Sox on Wednesday, there was a noticeable difference in the home clubhouse.

Instead of the clubhouse TVs showing pitches from that day’s opposing starting pitcher, almost every TV had been changed to a highlight reel of José Ramírez over the years in a celebration of Ramírez hitting 10 years of service time.

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The video featured clips ranging from his national breakout in the 2016 postseason to his near-MVP season in 2020 to some of the sky-scraping home runs he’s hit for the Guardians recently.

About four hours later, Ramírez added another line to his resume when he and left fielder Steven Kwan were named 2024 All-Star Game starters.

This will be Kwan’s first trip to the Midsummer Classic, while this will mark Ramírez’s fourth straight trip to the All-Star Game and the sixth of his career. The third baseman’s six All-Star Game nods tie him with Earl Averill, Sandy Alomar Jr. and Sam McDowell for the third-most in club history; it’s the third time Ramírez has been elected as an All-Star starter.

This marks the first year the Guardians have had an All-Star starter since Carlos Santana started at first base in 2019. The Guardians haven't had multiple All-Star starters since 2000.

Kwan entered play on Wednesday batting .362, which would lead the Majors in batting had he not missed nearly four weeks in May with a hamstring strain. That injury hasn’t impacted his pop, however, as he’s already slugged a career-high seven home runs to go along with 13 doubles and two triples.

While Kwan had been one of the best contact hitters in the game over the past two years, he spent his offseason working on adding power to his swing, which has been one of the biggest reasons for his success so far this season. The two-time Gold Glove winner has been worth five Outs Above Average in the field.

“This definitely shows where my ceiling can be, but with baseball it’s an everyday thing,” Kwan said after the Guardians’ 8-2 loss to the White Sox on Wednesday. “It’s definitely affirming in multiple different ways.”

Ramírez’s nod is just another example of his role as the heartbeat of the Guardians’ lineup, as he overcame a slow April (.263, 4 HR) to mash .296 with 18 home runs and 52 RBIs in May and June. He entered play on Wednesday with 76 RBIs, which trails only Aaron Judge.

From the time Kwan joined the Guardians organization, he used Ramírez as a guidepost for how to go about a big league career the right way. Now, he’ll get to start his first All-Star game 150 feet behind the six-time All-Star.

“My whole career, I’ve watched how he’s gone about his business, and I’m going to have to lean on him for this,” Kwan said. “Just seeing the respect he commands from other people is something I strive for.”

In 2022, no one was sure if Ramírez would break camp with the Guardians. On Wednesday, he got the chance to celebrate two significant milestones on the same day in front of a sellout crowd at Progressive Field.

“It’s awesome, I’m so happy for them,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “What an honor. We couldn’t be more proud of those two. They earned that and the fans recognized it so it’s really special.”