Ramirez faces serious Hall impediment
PED suspensions likely will doom slugger’s chances
USA TODAY Sports is examining the most intriguing cases on baseball’s 2017 Hall of Fame ballot ahead of the Jan. 18 election results.
Today: Manny Ramirez. Ramirez was one of the most productive and feared righthanded hitters in baseball history.
Over 19 seasons, he batted .312, slugged 555 home runs and drove in 1,831 runs. Ramirez added 29 more home runs over 23 playoff series and finished third in MVP voting in 2004 — the season the Boston Red Sox won their first World Series title since 1918. He won a second ring with the Red Sox in 2007, batting .409 in their seven-game conquest of the Cleveland Indians in the American League Championship Series.
The 12-time All- Star, who is appearing on the ballot for the first time, broke into the majors with the Indians in 1993. After eight seasons and 234 home runs with Cleveland, Ramirez signed a monster eight-year, $160 million deal with the Red Sox.
He became a fan favorite in Boston, slugging 274 home runs and forming a formidable 1-2 punch with David Ortiz.
In 2008, Ramirez was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-team deal and became an immediate hit. He was named the National League player of the month in August and touched off a frenzy dubbed Mannywood in Los Angeles.
With Ramirez, the Dodgers went on to win the NL West title before losing in the NL Championship Series to the Philadelphia Phillies.
Ramirez’s demise began the next season. On May 7, 2009, he was suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball after testing positive for a female fertility drug. Two years later, while with the Tampa Bay Rays, he was suspended for performance-enhancing drug use, this time a 100-game penalty that ended his career. The New York Times reported that Ramirez, along with Ortiz, also tested positive during 2003 survey testing.
Despite the pitfalls, Ramirez’s offensive prowess was second to none. He was a complete hitter who could hit for power and average and became one of the most studied hitters of his era. THE CASE FOR The back of Ramirez’s baseball card is remarkable to digest. He ranks 15th all time in home runs and 18th in RBI. His 21 grand slams are third, and his 29 postseason homers are the most in MLB history. He appeared in 12 All- Star Games, with a streak of 11 consecutive appearances beginning in 1998 that included every season that he played with the Red Sox. He finished in the top 10 of AL MVP voting nine times. He hit .300 or better 11 times, including an AL-best .349 in 2002. He reached the 100-RBI mark 12 times and scored 100 runs six times. THE CASE AGAINST Like Rafael Palmeiro, Ramirez faces a heavier burden than other stars of the so-called steroid era. He failed drug tests when MLB had a testing program with penalties. That sets him apart from players such as Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, who were linked to PEDs in the pretesting era. The second failed test, in concert with the reported 2003 positive test, put Ramirez in a doping realm all his own in terms of Hall candidates. That history figures to be too much for a majority of voters to overlook. LOOKALIKES Ramirez is among a heady class when it comes to Baseball-Reference’s Similarity Score. He’s compared to some of the game’s ultimate legends — Hall of Famers Ted Williams, Ken Griffey Jr., Mickey Mantle, Frank Thomas and future shoo-ins Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera. Ramirez has a score of 226 using Bill James’ Hall Monitor, well above the 130 threshold for a Hall of Famer. X FACTORS His quirky persona often overshadowed his ability, but it was all part of his character. Yes, he was known to not hustle in games, put his contract before his team and fake injuries. Yes, he once shoved a 64-year-old traveling secretary. But, transgressions aside, Ramirez was one of the game’s all-time great personalities. He loved playing to the camera — whether it was high-fiving a fan after a catch at the wall or disappearing into the Green Monster at Fenway Park during a pitching change. CONSENSUS His stats make him easily Hallworthy, but his PED suspensions likely will cost him enshrinement. As of Jan. 4, Ramirez had been named on 27.7% of known ballots on Ryan Thibodaux’s tracker. A candidate needs 75% of the vote. This figures to be the first of many years Ramirez fights a losing ballot battle.