During Monday night's game, shortstop Hanley Ramirez botched a blooper and ended up kicking it into the outfield. Instead of hustling for the ball following his mistake, Ramirez broke into a borderline walk to retrieve the ball in left field. Two runs scored, and the batter reached 3rd base on the play. Ramirez would be pulled from the game and Hanley couldn't understand why.
Hanley Ramirez would go on to say that he was injured and that is why he couldn't hustle down the ball. If you were so badly injured, why were you still in the game? Hanley then refused to apologize to the team for his actions, and claimed his manager Fredi Gonzalez doesn't understand, because Gonzalez never played in the majors. There is a clear power struggle in Florida, but it doesn't seem like the All star Ramirez has the support of his team. Teammate and veteran Wes Helms told reporters that he believes Ramirez owes the team an apology. Ramirez will not apologize and did not play on Tuesday. Manager Fredi Gonzalez says that Ramirez will return to the lineup Wednesday, but is the damage already done?
Hanley has been one of the elite players in the National League since being traded to Florida from Boston in the Josh Beckett trade following the 2005 season. Although Ramirez is a Rookie of the Year winner and two time All Star, his diva attitude isn't justified in my mind. I look at his playoff record and I see a stunning 0-0. Yes 0 playoff appearances for the great shortstop. Compare that now to other elite shortstops in the MLB: Troy Tulowitzki- World Series appearance, Jimmy Rollins- World Series win, Derek Jeter- 5 World Series wins, and even the once-promising Jose Reyes has an NLCS appearance.
Ramirez has been off the hook it seems for his team's struggles. Many believe that Florida is a difficult place to win, due to its constant rebuilding, but this team won championships in 1997 and 2003. Another great player, Miguel Cabrera, was able to lead his team to a 2003 title, something Hanley has not been able to do.
Now compare Hanley to the man he was traded for, Josh Beckett. Although Hanley is the younger star, and will has more All Star years left than Beckett, Josh Beckett still delivered for the Red Sox, helping them win the 2007 championship.
This leads me to think that Hanley Ramirez might just be a fantasy player. In the world of fantasy baseball, Hanley has been a perennial top 5 pick over the past few years. Now let's compare him to other fantasy standouts: Albert Pujols- World Series win, Alex Rodriguez- World Series win, Ryan Braun- playoff appearance, Ryan Howard- World Series win, Mark Teixeira- World Series win, Ichiro- playoff appearance, Prince Fielder- playoff appearance.
The Marlins are a solid team, and could be a Wild card contender this season. With pitchers such as Josh Johnson and Ricky Nolasco, and young talent such as Cameron Maybin and Dan Uggla, the Marlins always tend to compete despite low budgets. Last season the Marlins finished with 87 wins but fell short of the playoffs. This year the Marlins are right in the middle of a tight NL East that includes the defending champ Phillies, the improved Nationals, and the Mets and Braves who also could win this division. It is going to take exceptional play and a true team to come out from this division, and Hanley needs to make amends for his mistakes.
Hanley Ramirez is a great player, but until he can lead the Marlins to the playoffs, his huge ego is unjustified. You can keep doing great in the regular season, but post season success truly measure a player's success in the league. Hanley is young and has plenty of time to lead this Marlins club, but he needs to change his attitude if that's going to happen.
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