To much of the baseball-watching community, the Guardians are little more than a pesky road bump for the Yankees to get past on their way to a much-anticipated World Series against either the cro stown Mets or fellow behemoth Dodgers. And while they are somewhat anonymous especially without former manager Terry Francona to liven things up they will present challenges to the Yankees when the ALCS opens Monday in The Bronx for Game 1. Perhaps the biggest one is Jose Ramirez, who has traditionally hit well against the Yankees, but struggled against them this season. Jose Ramirez runs during the Guardians win over Tigers on Oct. 12, 2024. AP Certainly, Aaron Boone is aware of Ramirezs succe s. Hes the complete package, Boone said before both teams worked out at the Stadium Sunday. I get on people all the time. 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. Hes not underappreciated Malik Fitts Jersey . He is not underrated. Hes a great on track Hall of Fame player, and everybody knows it, including everyone sitting out here. Clevelands first-year manager Stephen Vogt agreed. Aaron Boone speaks to the media on Oct. 13, 2024. John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock Follow The Posts coverage of the Yankees in the postseason: When Joses going, theres nobody better, Vogt said. I think thats the beauty of Jose. Hes one swing away at all times. Theres not one set of eyes that isnt locked in on him when hes at the plate. Hes electric. Then theres Clevelands bullpen, which was tested against the Tigers in the ALDS, as the Guardians got little length out of their rotation in the series. Emmanuel Clase leads a relief corps that is considered among the best in the sport and right-hander Cade Smith said they are up to the challenge in this series. Explore More This is what were here for, said Smith, who had a 1.91 ERA in 74 appearances this season. We want to continue to do our thing. Weve been tested multiple times and reinforced every time that well do whatever is asked of us. This is exactly what we wanted. But Vogt said the Guardians will need to get more out of their rotation in a best-of-seven series than they did in the ALDS and that begins Monday with veteran Alex Cobb starting Game 1. Among the non-anonymous players in Clevelands lineup is Josh Naylor, who drew the wrath of Yankee fans after he mocked the Yankees and Gerrit Cole following a home run in Game 4 of the 2022 ALDS by doing a rock-the-baby motion while he rounded the bases. Go beyond the box score with the Bombers Sign up for Inside the Yankees by Greg Joyce, exclusively on Sports+. Thank you By clicking above you agree to the and . Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Emmanuel Clase reacts during the Guardians win over the Tigers on Oct. 12, 2024. Getty Images Cole said Sunday he wasnt concerned about Naylors actions, noting theyve faced off since then, but the crowd may feel differently. As Vogt said of the Guardians trip to The Bronx in August, The reception a couple months ago was pretty good. So Im sure it will be the same. And Vogt brushed off the notion that the Yankees are heavy favorites heading into the series. We worry about us, Vogt said. Weve taken that with every series all year long. We can control what we can, and we know the Yankees are good. They played us tough. This is a really good team were about to go up against. But were confident in who we are, and thats all we can control, is us. Patrick Beverley Jersey