CLEVELAND — In a largely forgettable year that saw a major regression and the loss of the longest tenured manager in the majors, two Cleveland Guardians were named to the All-MLB Second Team over the weekend.
Third baseman José Ramírez and closer Emmanuel Clase were honored for their 2023 performances in Saturday's announcement by Major League Baseball.
Ramírez anchored the middle of the Guardians' lineup yet again batting .282 with 24 home runs, 80 RBI and an OPS of .831.
This is the second time Ramírez has been selected to the All-MLB Second Team (2020)
Clase may be one of the more interesting cases on any of the first or second team lists. In some ways he deserved to be selected to the first team after leading the league in total saves with 44. The next closest to Clase was Camilo Doval of the San Francisco Giants and David Bednar of the Pittsburgh Pirates with 39 each.
Some may say he didn't deserve to be on either of the lists after leading the league in blown saves with 12.
A rollercoaster 2023 season aside, this is the second time Clase has been honored with an appearance on an All-MLB team. He was named to the All-MLB First Team in 2022 after leading MLB in saves.
The players selected to each team were determined through a voting process that included fans, former players, media members, broadcasters and others involved in Major League Baseball.