While many players have been quirky and idiosyncratic - none in recent times has been more colorful than Manny Ramirez. While the term “Manny being Manny” is often used to capture Manny’s eccentric on and off the field activities, let’s not forget how dominant an offensive force this guy has been over his illustrious 14-year career.
With defensive statistics for position players so hard to measure (how many runs does your defense (or lack of) allow the other team score?) we can only really focus on offense when trying to evaluate a player’s impact, and I would argue that very few have had the offensive impact that Ramirez has had.
If you look at Manny’s season averages for his 13 full seasons from 1994-2006 you will be amazed at his productivity: .314 average; 36 hr; 116 RBI; .412 SLG; .602 OBP; 1.01 OPS. These statistics makes for an outstanding season - let alone every year for the past 13 seasons. Numbers like these certainly take you on an express train to Cooperstown, NY.
To put Manny’s numbers in historical perspective, If Manny has an average 2007 season he will ascend to the top 25 all time in Home Runs and RBI, while already ranking in the top 10 all-time in slugging percentage (#7) on base plus slugging percentage (#8). These would be phenomenal statistics for a guy at the end of his career but Manny should have several more productive seasons. In fact, of all the top 50 RBI leaders, after this season, Manny will rank #49 ahead of only Joe DiMaggio in at-bats - meaning Manny still has good baseball ahead of him. If he can stay healthy and continues to play at a high level, it is conceivable that Manny could end up in the top-10 in HR, RBI, SLG, OPS. Ramirez would join Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds as the only members of that exclusive club.
Unfortunately for GMs and fans, some superstars come with headaches, though I think you will stock up on Tylenol and embrace this first ballot Hall-of-Famer.
With defensive statistics for position players so hard to measure (how many runs does your defense (or lack of) allow the other team score?) we can only really focus on offense when trying to evaluate a player’s impact, and I would argue that very few have had the offensive impact that Ramirez has had.
If you look at Manny’s season averages for his 13 full seasons from 1994-2006 you will be amazed at his productivity: .314 average; 36 hr; 116 RBI; .412 SLG; .602 OBP; 1.01 OPS. These statistics makes for an outstanding season - let alone every year for the past 13 seasons. Numbers like these certainly take you on an express train to Cooperstown, NY.
To put Manny’s numbers in historical perspective, If Manny has an average 2007 season he will ascend to the top 25 all time in Home Runs and RBI, while already ranking in the top 10 all-time in slugging percentage (#7) on base plus slugging percentage (#8). These would be phenomenal statistics for a guy at the end of his career but Manny should have several more productive seasons. In fact, of all the top 50 RBI leaders, after this season, Manny will rank #49 ahead of only Joe DiMaggio in at-bats - meaning Manny still has good baseball ahead of him. If he can stay healthy and continues to play at a high level, it is conceivable that Manny could end up in the top-10 in HR, RBI, SLG, OPS. Ramirez would join Babe Ruth and Barry Bonds as the only members of that exclusive club.
Unfortunately for GMs and fans, some superstars come with headaches, though I think you will stock up on Tylenol and embrace this first ballot Hall-of-Famer.
2 comments:
Do you really want to deal with his attitude? I would rather have a player not perform as well but be better in the clubhouse. Baseball is a long season and the headache with Manny never goes away.
Basically what you're saying is he is a great player who people don't like because he doesn't fit role of an all-american player and he loafs off from time to time. His analogy is basketball is Alan Iverson. His aversion to practice and annoying quite a few coaches won't stop him from being a 1st team HOF either.
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