Manny Ramirez

Manny Ramirez

Manny Ramirez
Position	Left Field
Team	Boston Red Sox
Years of Experience	12 years
Age	33
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Bats	Right
Throws	Right
College	N/A
2005 Salary	$19,806,820
Place of Birth	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Selection	1st round amateur draft, 1991.
Drafted by	Cleveland Indians
Major League Debut	September 2, 1993

Manuel Arístides (Manny) Ramírez Onelcida [ra-MEE-res] (born May 30, 1972) is an outfielder in Major League Baseball who has played for the Boston Red Sox since 2001. Previously, Ramírez played with the Cleveland Indians (1993-2000). He bats and throws right-handed. Though originally from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, he grew up in the Washington Heights section of New York City. In 2004, Ramírez became an American Citizen.

Career

File:Manny Homer.JPG

Manny Ramirez after a home run

Through the 2005 season, Ramírez is a career .314 hitter, with a .409 on base percentage and a .599 slugging percentage. He has totaled 435 home runs and 1414 RBI in 1687 games. Even though the 2005 season started off slowly for his standards, he had a strong second half of the year and ended with a .292 avg., 45 home runs, 144 RBIs and 112 runs.

Ramírez is generally considered one of the best all-around righthanded hitters in the American League, hitting right-handed and left-handed pitchers equally well. As a fielder he is considered average, with limited range but a good throwing arm.

Ramírez has been known to be involved in several comical misadventures while playing the outfield. While playing for Cleveland in the sixth inning of Game 6 of the 1998 American League Championship Series, he turned his back on a line drive off the bat of the New York Yankees Derek Jeter and attempted a leaping catch at the top of the right field wall, only to have the ball hit him in the back of the feet. During the 2004 season, he was nominated for play of the year because of a spectacular catch he made in left field at Yankee Stadium to rob Miguel Cairo of a home-run. However, in Game One of that year's World Series, Ramírez made two errors in the same inning. In 2005, Ramírez improved his defense dramatically and made several spectacular plays (despite having his share of misadventures), ending the year with a Major League leading 17 outfield assists.

Cleveland years

From 1993 to 2000 Ramírez collected 236 home runs and 804 RBI in 967 games for the Cleveland Indians, including a career-high 45 home runs in 1998, and a team-record career-high 165 RBI in 1999, when he hit .333 with 44 homers and scored 131 runs (also a career-high). He made the American League All-Star team four times, and hit 127 homers and 432 RBI in 415 games over last three seasons. His 165 RBI total in 1999 was the highest by any player since Jimmie Foxx in 1938; and made him the first player to have more RBI than games played in a season since Ted Williams in 1949.

2003 season

In the summer of 2003, after missing several games with pharyngitis, Ramírez was criticized by the Boston sports media and many fans who said he should have played despite the ailment. When it was learned that he had been seen in a hotel bar (Ramírez lives in the hotel in question) with a close friend, Yankees infielder Enrique Wilson, the controversy grew, causing Boston manager Grady Little to bench Ramírez for one game. Despite his strong play in the 2003 post-season, Ramírez's Red Sox lost in heartbreaking fashion to Wilson's Yankees in a 7 game showdown in the ALCS. After the season, the Red Sox put him on irrevocable waivers, allowing any team to claim him and thus add him to its roster. However, all 29 other teams passed, due to the length and cost of his contract.

2004 season

In 2004, nevertheless, Ramírez silenced his critics. He displayed a good attitude and an enthusiasm for playing, two qualities his critics had charged that he lacked. Coupled with impressive play on the field, this absolved Ramírez in the eyes of many Boston fans and sportswriters. He led the American League in home runs (43), slugging average (.613) and OPS (1.009); finished 3rd in RBI (130), 6th in on base percentage (.397), 8th in base on balls (82), 10th in runs (108), and posted a .308 batting average.

In addition, Ramírez and David Ortiz became the first pair of American League teammates to hit 40 home runs, have 100 RBI, and bat .300 since the Yankees Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig in 1931, and the first Red Sox duo with 40 homers since Tony Armas and Jim Rice (1984). Also along with Ortiz, Ramírez hit back-to-back home runs six times, tying the major league single season set by Hank Greenberg and Rudy York (Detroit Tigers) and Frank Thomas and Magglio Ordóñez (Chicago White Sox).

Ramirez at Red Sox victory parade

In the All-Star Game, facing Roger Clemens in the top of the first inning, Ramírez hit a two-run home run giving his teammates an immediate 3-0 lead. Along with Derek Jeter (a single), Ichiro Suzuki (a double) and Iván Rodríguez (a triple), Ramírez made history as the American League became the first All-Star team to hit for the cycle during the same inning. His season was capped off by being named the MVP of the World Series as he led the Red Sox to their first title since 1918.

2005 season

• May 16: Reached a major career milestone by hitting his 400th home run off Gil Meche of the Seattle Mariners. Ramírez is one of only 39 other baseball players to ever hit this many home runs.

• July 5: Hit his 20th career grand slam —and his third of the season— off Chris Young of the Texas Rangers. Only Lou Gehrig, with 23, has hit more grand slams than Ramírez.

• July 31: Although he is one of the most productive batters in major league history, Ramírez has been on the trading block every year as the Red Sox have tried to unload the remainder of his $160 million, eight-year contract, often at Ramírez's behest. As the trade deadline approached, the Red Sox discussed a three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and New York Mets, but a deal was not reached before the trading deadline. Ramírez even sat on the bench for several games because of the supposed mental toll the situation was putting on him. Some fans dismissed his actions as just "Manny being Manny", while others were genuinely annoyed and even proceeded as to boo him after his trade request was announced by the media. The trade deadline behind him, Ramírez began his new life with the Red Sox with a go-ahead, pinch-hit single in the eighth inning, thrilling the Fenway Park crowd that thought he might be traded and giving Boston a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins.

2005 Offseason

The 2005 Major League Baseball offseason has been one of much conflict for Ramírez. After the Red Sox lost in disappointing fashion to the eventual World Series Champion Chicago White Sox, Ramírez expressed once again his desire to be traded and threatened to hold out of Spring Training if he was not. Close friend and teammate David Ortiz warned of the consequences if Ramírez was kept unhappy by the team. In December 2005, Ramírez put up his Ritz-Carlton condominium up for sale. In addition, Johnny Damon cited Ramírez's unhappiness as a factor in Damon signing with the archrival New York Yankees. [1] Trade rumors circulated with Ramírez possibly going to the Baltimore Orioles or New York Mets, but no deal was reached. As of January 5th, Ramírez stated to ESPN Deportes that he was dropping his trade demands and remain in Boston for the rest of his contract. His agents have since then reported this as false, with Ramirez still being open to a trade. [2]

"Manny Being Manny"

Though his talent is undeniable, Ramirez has developed a reputation for mental lapses while playing in the field or running the bases. Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy has dubbed this "Manny Being Manny", a term that has entered everyday usage among Red Sox fans to refer to any baseball mistakes or odd behavior by Ramirez. This phrase was coined when Manny went into the "Green Monster" in between innings.

Highlights

• 9-time All-Star (1995, 1998-2005)
• World Series MVP Award (2004)
• 2-time Hank Aaron Award (1999, 2004)
• 8-time Silver Slugger Award (1995, 1999-2005)
• Won American League batting crown (2002, .349)
• Led AL in home runs (2004)
• Led AL in RBI (1999)
• 3-time led AL in slugging percentage (1999-2000, 2004)
• 3-time led AL in OPS (1999-2000, 2004)
• Twice led AL in on base percentage (2002-03)
• Twice led AL in intentional walks (2001, 2003)
• 8-time Top 10 AL in total bases (1996-99, 2001,2003-05)
• 7-time Top 10 AL MVP (1998-2004)
• 8-time Top 10 AL in home runs (1998-2005)
• 7-time Top 10 AL in RBI (1995, 1998, 1999-2001, 2004, 2005)
• 4-time Top 10 AL hitters (1997, 1999-2000, 2003)
• 5-time Top 10 AL in times on base (1997, 1999, 2003-05)
• Member of Major League Baseball's Latino Legends Team

Miscellaneous statistics and facts

• Career rankings among active players and on the All-Time lists
  • .314 batting average - 7th and 76th
  • 435 home runs - 8th and 33rd
  • 1414 RBI - 8th and 59th tied
  • .409 on base percentage - 9th and 40th
  • .599 slugging average - 4th and 9th
  • 861 extra base hits - 11th and 60th
  • 1.008 OPS - 4th and 10th
  • 138 intentional walks - 11th and 48th
  • 20 grand slams - 1st and 2nd

Salary

• During the 2005 season, Ramírez was the third highest paid player in Major League Baseball at the yearly salary of $19,906,820.00.

Trivia

• Ramírez appealed to fans by joining the 2004 Red Sox tradition of growing a unique hairstyle, maintaining a solid set of dreadlocks throughout the season.
• He was featured on the cover of the Electronic Arts Sports electronic game MVP Baseball 2005 [3].
• In 2004, a television advertisement for Boston's Olympia Sports chain of sporting goods stores correctly predicted Ramírez' World Series MVP award. During the 2005 season, the ad aired with a "Last Season" title card and "It Couldn't Happen Again... Or Could It?" at the end.
• Has been given the nickname "Man Ram" by sports media personalities

Personality

• Many stories exist that portray Ramirez as a carefree, sometimes childish, and often naive individual whose concentration is directed soley on playing baseball. For example, one story dates back to his early years with the Cleveland Indians in June of 1994. As teammates were gathered in the clubhouse watching news of the O.J. Simpson Bronco chase, Ramirez asked what was going on. A player responded that "they are chasing O.J" to which Ramirez responded in disbelief "What did Chad do?" (in reference to their current teammate Chad Ogea who was likely have been in the same clubhouse just several feet away).

See also

• List of Boston Red Sox awards
• List of highest paid baseball players
• List of players from Dominican Republic in MLB
• List of AL Silver Slugger Winners at Designated Hitter
• List of AL Silver Slugger Winners at Outfield
• Major League Baseball Showdown
• Top 500 home run hitters of all time
• Manny Ortez

External links

• Official Home Page
• Template:Espn mlb
• Career statistics from Baseball Reference
• Baseball Library
• The Top 100 Greatest Cleveland Indians Roster