Updates
Wed, Jan 27th 2010, 13:23
Next wave of shortstops making a splash
They commanded the game as anchors of the infield, dazzled onlookers and achieved baseball heights, turning what was once considered a light-hitting position into a glitzy gig of glamour.
Starting in the mid-1990s and carrying over through much of the 2000s, Major League Baseball was treated to a quintet of super-shortstops, and they were all easy to identify.
In Boston you had the high-average hitting and occasional pop of Nomar (Garciaparra), and in Cleveland you had the Hall of Fame-caliber fielding of Omar (Vizquel).
New York belonged to Derek (Jeter), the all-around star with a complete and clutch finesse-oriented game, and Seattle and Texas were A-Rod towns where home runs flew off the slugger’s bat in record numbers.
In Oakland, there was Miggy (Tejada)...
Mon, Jan 11th 2010, 14:20
Hanley answers questions from fans
Q: Hi Hanley! Great season this year. I was wondering, what glove do u wear?
Hanley Ramirez: I wear a custom-colored Wilson #1786. It’smade for me with Marlin teal & black.
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Q: As a child, who was your biggest inflence on and off the field?
Hanley: My mother is and will always be my idol and role mode. She supported me to play, even when I didn’t want to go to school and when we didn’t have much.
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Q: Did you enjoy batting third this year as opposed to leadoff?
Hanley: Batting 3rd is definitely different than batting first, but I had a great time hitting thir this year. I was able to drive in a lot…
Tue, Nov 24th 2009, 15:16
Second to one: Hanley runner-up to Pujols
Of players not named Albert Pujols, Hanley Ramirez is at the head of the class.
Unfortunately for the Marlins’ All-Star shortstop, Pujols was on the list of contenders.
With that being the case, all the first-place drama of the National League Most Valuable Player Award vote was gone well before the decision was made public.
By a unanimous decision, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America on Tuesday selected Pujols as the NL MVP. In claiming his third top prize, the Cardinals slugger also received all 32 first-place votes.
For Ramirez, the vote was still rewarding. The 25-year-old finished second, followed by the Phillies’ Ryan Howard and Prince Fielder of the Brewers.
In terms of his value to the Marlins, Ramirez is the club’s clear-cut…
Fri, Nov 13th 2009, 12:58
Hanley wins second Silver Slugger
Switching spots in the batting order didn’t change the Silver Slugger Award results for National League shortstops.
On Thursday, Hanley Ramirez was announced as a repeat winner of the Silver Slugger Award.
Primarily a leadoff hitter his first three seasons, Ramirez was moved into the No. 3 spot in the Marlins’ order. He produced big numbers that earned him another major honor.
Presented by Louisville Slugger, the official bat of Major League Baseball, Silver Slugger Awards are given to each position in both leagues. Managers and coaches select the winners.
For the second successive month, Ramirez was singled out by Louisville Slugger.
In October, the 25-year-old won the Silver Bat Award, presented to the batting champions in both leagues. Ramirez’s .342 average paced the…
Mon, Oct 26th 2009, 12:13
Path of the Pros: Hanley Ramirez
Baseball scouts go to great lengths to avoid the phrase “sure thing.” So many factors can prevent a talented prospect from maturing into a skilled pro that scouts know better than to make predictions with certainty.
But before he was 20, Hanley Ramirez was making people all over baseball drool.
In 2000, he signed with Boston as a 16-year-old kid out of a peninsula town in the Dominican Republic. He spent one short season in the Dominican Summer League before the Red Sox brought him stateside to the Gulf Coast League. By 2002, Baseball America had named him the No. 1 prospect in the New York-Penn League and described him as a “can’t-miss” player.
Mike Boulanger, who managed the Lowell Spinners that…
