Yankees' Boone: Guardians' Ramírez is 'not underappreciated'

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone is tired of listening to those who say Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez is an under-the-radar star as the two clubs prepare to face off in the American League Championship Series.

"If I hear another how underappreciated, underrated he is from somebody on a network or something, I want to rip my arms off and throw it at the TV," Boone said Sunday, according to SNY. "He's not underappreciated. He is not underrated. He's a great, on track (for) Hall of Fame player and everybody knows it, including all of us sitting out here (for the press conference).

"Switch-hitter, power, great base runner, (and) great defender at third. He's a great all-around player. Period. He creates some problems. Hopefully we can keep him quiet enough."

In the regular season, Ramírez was one homer shy of becoming the seventh player in MLB history to hit at least 40 round-trippers with 40 stolen bases. The six-time All-Star also collected 118 RBIs with an .872 OPS and topped all players at his position with a 6.9 fWAR.

The 32-year-old has placed in the top four in AL MVP voting four times during his 12-year career. Only Mookie Betts, Aaron Judge, and Francisco Lindor have accumulated more fWAR than Ramírez since 2016.

Ramírez has only played for Cleveland, which is considered a small-market team with payroll limitations. He often doesn't get the national recognition that other stars do. The five-year, $124-million extension he signed in April 2022 is also a bargain in relation to his production on the field.