Alex Ramírez

For the Chicago White Sox player, see Alexei Ramirez.

Alex Ramírez
File:YG-Alex-Ramirez.jpg
Yomiuri Giants – No. 5
Outfielder
Born: (1974-10-03) 3 October 1974 Caracas, Venezuela
Bats: Right Throws: Right
debut
September 19, 1998, for the Cleveland Indians
Career statistics (through 2010 season)
Batting average	.297
Home runs	42
Stats at Baseball Reference
Teams
Cleveland Indians (1998–2000) Pittsburgh Pirates (2000) Tokyo Yakult Swallows (2001–2007) (NPB) Yomiuri Giants (2008–present) (NPB)
Career highlights and awards
2× Central League MVP (2008、2009) Leader of Batting average in Central League (2009) 3× Leader of RBI in Central League (2003, 2007, 2008) Leader of Home run in Central League (2003) 2× Japan Series champion (2001, 2009)

Alexander Ramón Ramírez (born on 15 August 1974 in Caracas, Venezuela) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who currently plays for the Yomiuri Giants of Nippon Professional Baseball. He played in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians (1998–2000) and Pittsburgh Pirates (2000). He bats and throws right-handed.

Major League Baseball career

In three MLB seasons, Ramírez batted .259 with 12 home runs, 48 RBI, 38 runs, 17 doubles, three triples, and three stolen bases in 135 games.

Nippon Professional Baseball career

After the 2000 season, Ramírez signed with the Tokyo Yakult Swallows (2001–2007) and was their cleanup hitter. He did hold the Central League (Japan) record for most base hits in a single season (204) set in 2007, but Hanshin Tigers outfielder Matt Murton would surpass this with 214 hits in 2010. Due to contract issues (Ramírez wanted a multi-year contract, but the Swallows offered a one-year contract), he decided to sign with the Yomiuri Giants before the 2008 season.

In 2008, Ramírez led the Central League with 125 RBI while hitting .319 (6th in the league) with 45 home runs (2nd). He also hit two home runs in Game 2 of the Japan Series, including one in the bottom of the ninth to win Game 2.

At the end of the 2008 season, Ramírez won the Central League MVP Award to become the third Venezuelan player to be honored with the title in Japanese Baseball, joining Roberto Petagine (Central League, 2001) and Alex Cabrera (Pacific League, 2002).

After playing eight seasons in NPB, he obtained FA Right in 2008, and he is also not bound to the restriction of the number of non-Japanese players on each team. Currently, for non-Japanese players, only Ramirez, Tuffy Rhodes, and Alex Cabrera have the right. In 2009, he became the second player to obtain overseas FA rights allowing him to play overseas (even this means nothing as he comes from the Major League) and the fastest foreign player to accumulate 1500 hits in NPB.

On August 26, 2010 Ramirez scored 100 or more RBI in eight consecutive seasons, breaking Sadaharu Oh's Japanese baseball record of seven.

Career statistics

Nippon Professional Baseball
Year	Age	Team	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	TB	RBI	SB	AVG
2001	27	Yakult	138	510	60	143	23	0	29	253	88	1	.280
2002	28	Yakult	139	539	65	159	25	0	24	256	92	0	.295
2003	29	Yakult	140	567	105	189	34	3	40	349	124	4	.333
2004	30	Yakult	129	525	79	160	30	2	31	287	110	2	.305
2005	31	Yakult	146	596	70	168	19	1	32	285	104	5	.282
2006	32	Yakult	146	603	79	161	28	2	26	271	112	0	.267
2007	33	Yakult	144	594	80	204	41	3	29	338	122	0	.343
2008	34	Yomiuri	144	548	84	175	28	0	45	298	96	0	.319
2009	35	Yomiuri	144	577	66	186	35	0	31	314	103	4	.322
2010	36	Yomiuri	144	566	93	172	28	0	49	347	129	1	.304
2011	37	Yomiuri	68	250	19	68	6	0	12	110	39	0	.272

Statistics current as of July 22, 2011

External links

• Career statistics from Baseball Reference, or Fangraphs

Nippon Professional Baseball career statistics from JapaneseBaseball.com

• Alex Ramirez Web Site