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Aside from Dwyane Wade, no South Florida athlete had a better 2009 than Hanley Ramirez, who won a National League batting title (.342), hit 24 homers, drove in 106 runs and stole 27 bases. That's why it was surprising when no teammate rose to his defense in September, after Dan Uggla blistered him in front of reporters, accusing Ramirez (who left the previous night's game with a hamstring injury) of lacking desire to win and showing up teammates and dismissing him with a ``Yeah, you got your $70 million!''
As one on-field Marlins official said, Ramirez has ``acted like a baby'' at times in the past and can be moody or stand-offish. Another Marlins person said Uggla's issues with Ramirez reflected sentiment among many players at the time. Even Marlins executive Andre Dawson said in September, ``Hanley is going to have to really do what it takes to be a leader. He hasn't embraced that yet.''
But Ramirez has changed for the better since that Uggla incident, teammates say. Ramirez took the negative perception of him to heart -- he said recently it's important to him to have teammates' respect and is trying to become a leader. ``I am [the face of the franchise],'' he said. ``Everything I do, everybody is looking at me. It makes me do everything the right way.''
Third baseman Wes Helms said recently, ``I have told Hanley 100 times, `You have to lead this team.' '' Now, ``he looks like a guy that wants to. I'm proud of him.''
After the incident with Uggla, ``I saw Hanley cheering for guys more in the dugout and pick guys up who were struggling,'' Helms said. ``He would go up to guys and say, `We have to get it going.' I had never heard him do that before. That, to me, is more important than what he does on the field,'' though fans and management would disagree.
Catcher John Baker said Ramirez ``is starting to grow into being an adult'' and deserves credit for doing ``a fantastic job of calming Leo Nunez down'' on the mound last year. ``One time Hanley told Leo, `Throw Matt Holliday a fastball inside and he'll hit into a double play.' And that's exactly what happened.''
Ramirez, 26, said ``I help the young guys like Cameron Maybin, give them tips. It's a pleasure for me to teach them.''
For fans, what Ramirez does on the field is all that matters. ``People said he couldn't hit third, and then he goes out and wins a batting title,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said. ``Some questioned if he could play shortstop. He cut his errors in half last season.'' (He had 10 after 26, 24 and 22 the previous three.) ``Let's see if I can do less errors,'' Ramirez said. ``I could have hit .370. I can do better.''
As one on-field Marlins official said, Ramirez has ``acted like a baby'' at times in the past and can be moody or stand-offish. Another Marlins person said Uggla's issues with Ramirez reflected sentiment among many players at the time. Even Marlins executive Andre Dawson said in September, ``Hanley is going to have to really do what it takes to be a leader. He hasn't embraced that yet.''
But Ramirez has changed for the better since that Uggla incident, teammates say. Ramirez took the negative perception of him to heart -- he said recently it's important to him to have teammates' respect and is trying to become a leader. ``I am [the face of the franchise],'' he said. ``Everything I do, everybody is looking at me. It makes me do everything the right way.''
Third baseman Wes Helms said recently, ``I have told Hanley 100 times, `You have to lead this team.' '' Now, ``he looks like a guy that wants to. I'm proud of him.''
After the incident with Uggla, ``I saw Hanley cheering for guys more in the dugout and pick guys up who were struggling,'' Helms said. ``He would go up to guys and say, `We have to get it going.' I had never heard him do that before. That, to me, is more important than what he does on the field,'' though fans and management would disagree.
Catcher John Baker said Ramirez ``is starting to grow into being an adult'' and deserves credit for doing ``a fantastic job of calming Leo Nunez down'' on the mound last year. ``One time Hanley told Leo, `Throw Matt Holliday a fastball inside and he'll hit into a double play.' And that's exactly what happened.''
Ramirez, 26, said ``I help the young guys like Cameron Maybin, give them tips. It's a pleasure for me to teach them.''
For fans, what Ramirez does on the field is all that matters. ``People said he couldn't hit third, and then he goes out and wins a batting title,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said. ``Some questioned if he could play shortstop. He cut his errors in half last season.'' (He had 10 after 26, 24 and 22 the previous three.) ``Let's see if I can do less errors,'' Ramirez said. ``I could have hit .370. I can do better.''
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