Yankees manager Aaron Boone on Guardians All-Star Jose Ramirez: He's the complete package

Among the storylines from the Yankees' American League Division Series against Kansas City was the matchup of players likely to finish 1 and 2 in the AL MVP voting — Aaron Judge and Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.

The American League Championship Series matchup — the Yankees vs. the Guardians, which starts Monday night at the Stadium — brings a similar narrative, with Judge against another candidate, Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez.

And even though Ramirez, because of the  seasons produced by Judge and Witt, likely will be relegated to third-place votes at best, don’t think he  is flying under the radar entering the best-of-seven series.

And definitely don’t, under any circumstances, tell Yankees manager Aaron Boone that  the six-time All-Star is “underrated.”

“He's the complete package,”  Boone said Sunday afternoon before his team worked out at the Stadium. “I get on people all the time. If I hear another [say] how underappreciated, underrated he is from somebody on a network or something, I want to rip my arms off and throw [them] at the TV.”

Boone, smiling but entirely serious, was just getting warmed up.

“He's not underappreciated. He is not underrated,” he said. “He's a great, on-track-Hall-of Fame player and everybody knows it, including everyone sitting out here [in the news conference room]. Switch hitter, power, great baserunner, great defender at third. Like, he's a great all-around player, period. He creates some problems. Hopefully we can keep him quiet enough, but I think he has the utmost respect from everyone in the game and very much is not underrated.”

Yankees Game 1 starter Carlos Rodon will try to navigate a Guardians lineup that features more than just Ramirez. There’s contact specialist and leadoff hitter Steven Kwan,  who hit .292 with a .368 on-base percentage and struck out only 51 times in 540 plate appearances. There's Josh Naylor, who trolled Gerrit Cole with a rock-the-baby motion as he rounded the bases after a homer in Game 4 of the 2022 ALDS (a Cleveland loss). Naylor hit .243 with 31 homers, 27 doubles and 108 RBIs.

But Ramirez, who hit .279 with 39 homers, 39 doubles, 41 stolen bases and 118 RBIs, is the key cog.

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, in his first season after replacing the legendary Terry Francona (whose retirement for health reasons lasted exactly one season; he just took the Reds' job), differed with Boone to a degree when it comes to Ramirez being underrated.

“I think in circles he is, but if you ask anybody working in baseball, they don't think he's underappreciated or any of that,” Vogt said. “He's one of the elite players in this league. He's a top five player in this league every year. In the baseball circles, everyone knows about it and talks about it.”

Speaking earlier of the four-time Silver Slugger winner, Vogt said: “When Jose's going, there's nobody better. I think that's the beauty of Jose. He's one swing away at all times. There's not one set of eyes that isn't locked in on him when he's at the plate. He's electric.”

Rodon went against Cleveland plenty when he was in the AL Central with the White Sox from 2015-21.

“I faced Cleveland before in the past. I didn't face them this year,” said Rodon, adding that this year’s Guardians team “has a couple more pieces than in the past,” when he was with Chicago. “As we know, Jose Ramírez is one of the better players in our game. So that switch hitter, that's going to be a pivotal part of their lineup. I think they have some guys . . .  I mean, Steven Kwan hits lefties just as well as he hits righties and puts together some good, long at-bats. It's a formidable lineup. It is very good. They wouldn't be in the LCS for no reason.”

Notes & quotes: Boone said “there’s a chance” that Anthony Rizzo, left off the ALDS roster after suffering two broken fingers  on his right hand after getting hit by a pitch Sept. 28, will be on the ALCS roster. Rizzo went through his most extensive workout since the injury on Sunday . . .   Cole will start Game 2, followed byClarke Schmidt in Game 3 and AL Rookie of the Year candidate Luis Gil in Game 4. Gil was in the bullpen for the ALDS.