Manny Ramírez
From BR Bullpen
Manuel Aristides Ramirez Onelcida (Man-Ram)
- Bats Right, Throws Right
- Height 6' 0", Weight 190 lb.
- High School George Washington High School
- Debut September 2, 1993
- Born May 30, 1972 in Santo Domingo, D.R.
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[edit] Biographical Information
In high school, Manny Ramírez was named to the All-City team in 1989, 1990 and 1991 and was the New York City Public Schools High School Player of the Year in 1991, when he batted .615 with 14 homers in 22 games. He was second to Bob Hamelin in 1994 American League Rookie of the Year Award voting. In 1999 he was inducted into the New York City Public Schools Athletic Hall of Fame with Bobby Thomson, John Franco, Shawon Dunston and Nate "Tiny" Archibald. He currently plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ramirez and his wife Juliana make their offseason home in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
He crossed the 1,500 RBI line, historically a major Hall of Fame marker, at the age of 34. In 2008, Ramirez entered the list of top twenty all time home run leaders.
Ramirez hit his 500th career MLB home run on May 31, 2008, off Chad Bradford. He was the 24th player in MLB history to have socked 500 and was right in the middle in terms of age, being 12th-youngest and 13th-oldest. Ramirez was the 8th player in MLB history to hit 20+ homers in 14 consecutive seasons (1995-2008).
Ramirez was traded with $7 million to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 31, 2008 as part of 3-team deal that sent Jason Bay of the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Boston Red Sox. Boston also gave up Brandon Moss and Craig Hansen to Pittsburgh while Los Angeles sent Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris to the Bucs. Ramirez excelled with LA, helping lead them to overtake Arizona in the NL West for a playoff spot. He topped 50 RBI in his first couple of months with the Dodgers, becoming the second big leaguer with 50 RBI in each league in a year (joining Carlos Beltran).
[edit] Suspension for Banned Substance
On May 7, 2009, Ramirez was suspended 50 games after testing positive for a banned substance. After consulting with the Players Association and with his personnel, he waived his right to challenge the suspension. Ramirez did issue the following statement in response to the suspension: “Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was okay to give me. Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I've taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons. I want to apologize to Mr. McCourt, Mrs. McCourt, Mr. Torre, my teammates, the Dodger organization, and to the Dodger fans. LA is a special place to me and I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I'm sorry about this whole situation.” – Manny Ramirez [1] The suspension is expected to cost Ramirez about $7.65-million, based on his two-year, $45-million contract with the Dodgers signed in March, 2009.
There has been lengthy discussion in the media on the possible substance Ramirez could have taken. Sources close to the case say Ramirez used the female fertility drug HCG, or human chorionic gonadotropin. HCG is typically taken at the end of a steroid program to restart testosterone production in the body. [2] The suspension is believed to be the result of a drug test taken in 2009, as Ramirez was a free agent during the winter of 2008-2009, and would not have been subject to the League's drug testing program. Drug testing is required of players within five days of reporting to training camp, and he only signed with the Dodgers in March 2009. [3]
There is also talk that the suspension has hurt his future chances for entry into the Hall of Fame. [4]
[edit] Notable Achievements
- 1993 Baseball America Minor League Player of the Year, Canton-Akron Indians, Eastern League & Charlotte Knights, International League
- 1991 MVP Appalachian League Burlington Indians
- 1994 Topps All-Star Rookie Team
- 12-time AL All-Star (1995 & 1998-2008)
- 2004 World Series MVP
- 9-time AL Silver Slugger Award Winner (1995/OF, 1999-2001/OF, 2002/DH & 2003-2006/OF)
- AL Batting Average Leader (2002)
- 3-time AL On-Base Percentage Leader (2002, 2003 & 2006)
- 3-time AL Slugging Percentage Leader (1999, 2000 & 2004)
- 3-time AL OPS Leader (1999, 2000 & 2004)
- AL Home Runs Leader (2004)
- AL RBI Leader (1999)
- 20-Home Run Seasons: 14 (1995-2008)
- 30-Home Run Seasons: 12 (1995, 1996, 1998-2006 & 2008)
- 40-Home Run Seasons: 5 (1998, 1999, 2001, 2004 & 2005)
- 100 RBI Seasons: 12 (1995, 1996, 1998-2006 & 2008)
- 100 Runs Scored Seasons: 6 (1998, 1999, 2003-2005 & 2008)
- Won two World Series with the Boston Red Sox (2004 & 2007)
[edit] Further Reading
- Ben McGrath: "Waiting for Manny: Boston's Mystery Man", The New Yorker, April 23, 2007, pp. 38-45.
- Jean Rhodes and Shawn Roberg: Becoming Manny: Inside the Life of Baseball's Most Enigmatic Slugger, Scribner Books, New York, NY, 2009.
