Tweet
“I’m going to be the first player to win Rookie of the Year twice,” Hanley Ramirez playfully told the Marlins and his agent this winter. That’s obviously impossible, but his message – as agent Andy Mota explained – is clear: Ramirez “has the hunger of a rookie” after a humbling 2010.
Ramirez, 27, started his offseason workouts a month early and is extremely driven to rebound from last year, when his average dropped 42 points from 2009 (.342 to .300) and his RBI total plunged from 106 to 76. His errors rose from 10 to 16 in nine fewer games (142).
“Everyone will be very surprised with the new Hanley and his whole makeup,” manager Edwin Rodriguez said. “He is very motivated. He was very disappointed in his season. He knows the whole offense revolves around him.”
Marlins executive vice president Larry Beinfest said “there’s no question” Ramirez will return to his ’09 form, when he was runner-up for MVP. “He’s a special player who can do anything he wants at any time,” Beinfest said.
Here was Ramirez’s biggest problem last season: Pitchers, knowing he pummels elevated pitches, threw him more sinking fastballs, which run down and in to right-handed hitters. He hit a lot of them weakly, batting .196 on ground balls to the left side, down from .330 in ’09, according to Fangraphs.
What’s more, he hit far more ground balls (51 percent, compared with 38.6 in ’09) and that translated into fewer line drives and a drop in extra-base hits from 67 to 51, in 33 fewer plate appearances. “He would just give away some at-bats by swinging at bad pitches,” one National League scout said.
And there’s the issue of Ramirez’s personality, perceived by some teammates as moody. Marlins special assistant Andre Dawson put it this way late last season: “When he’s struggling, he’s humbled and more approachable and communicative and you see a different makeup. When he’s on a hot streak, you see a lot of swagger. Some players don’t like that and call it selfishness or ‘hot dog.’ … You have to always show interest in teammates when they are struggling.”
But Rodriguez will not ask Ramirez to be something he’s not. “He is not going to be vocal,” Rodriguez said. “He will lead by example.”
• Although Matt Dominguez hit .252 at Double A in 2010 (with 14 homers and 81 RBI) and .257 in four minor-league seasons, Beinfest believes he is ready to compete for third base because “he had a great second half. He can hit. The numbers haven’t always been there. The fielding has always been well above average. Matt is going to be our third baseman someday. If it’s this April, great. If it’s Emilio Bonifacio in one of the infield spots and Omar Infante in the other, that’s going to be OK, also. Boni has shown a lot of improvement.”
Rodriguez said hitting .240 and not being overmatched would suffice for Dominguez. If Dominguez, 21, flops, the Marlins might look for a cheap backup veteran infielder or hope Donnie Murphy is ready off wrist surgery.
• Some scouts worry about new No. 3 starter Javier Vazquez’s drop in fastball velocity from 91.1 mph in 2009 to 88.7 last season. But Beinfest said, “It’s not a huge concern. The stuff is still pretty good. He had some inconsistent opportunities in New York. … On paper, we are as confident as we have been in a pitching staff.”
Vazquez, 34, has won at least 10 games in each of the past 11 seasons, but batters hit .257 against him with the Yankees last season, compared with .223 when he pitched for the Braves in 2009. His strikeouts per nine innings dropped from 9.8 to 6.9.
• John Baker, off elbow surgery, knows his arm will not be strong enough to handle backup catching duties until possibly May, but general manager Michael Hill said the Marlins want to keep him on the roster as a left-handed bat off the bench until he’s ready to catch. Brett Hayes could be the backup catcher until Baker is ready.
Ramirez, 27, started his offseason workouts a month early and is extremely driven to rebound from last year, when his average dropped 42 points from 2009 (.342 to .300) and his RBI total plunged from 106 to 76. His errors rose from 10 to 16 in nine fewer games (142).
“Everyone will be very surprised with the new Hanley and his whole makeup,” manager Edwin Rodriguez said. “He is very motivated. He was very disappointed in his season. He knows the whole offense revolves around him.”
Marlins executive vice president Larry Beinfest said “there’s no question” Ramirez will return to his ’09 form, when he was runner-up for MVP. “He’s a special player who can do anything he wants at any time,” Beinfest said.
Here was Ramirez’s biggest problem last season: Pitchers, knowing he pummels elevated pitches, threw him more sinking fastballs, which run down and in to right-handed hitters. He hit a lot of them weakly, batting .196 on ground balls to the left side, down from .330 in ’09, according to Fangraphs.
What’s more, he hit far more ground balls (51 percent, compared with 38.6 in ’09) and that translated into fewer line drives and a drop in extra-base hits from 67 to 51, in 33 fewer plate appearances. “He would just give away some at-bats by swinging at bad pitches,” one National League scout said.
And there’s the issue of Ramirez’s personality, perceived by some teammates as moody. Marlins special assistant Andre Dawson put it this way late last season: “When he’s struggling, he’s humbled and more approachable and communicative and you see a different makeup. When he’s on a hot streak, you see a lot of swagger. Some players don’t like that and call it selfishness or ‘hot dog.’ … You have to always show interest in teammates when they are struggling.”
But Rodriguez will not ask Ramirez to be something he’s not. “He is not going to be vocal,” Rodriguez said. “He will lead by example.”
• Although Matt Dominguez hit .252 at Double A in 2010 (with 14 homers and 81 RBI) and .257 in four minor-league seasons, Beinfest believes he is ready to compete for third base because “he had a great second half. He can hit. The numbers haven’t always been there. The fielding has always been well above average. Matt is going to be our third baseman someday. If it’s this April, great. If it’s Emilio Bonifacio in one of the infield spots and Omar Infante in the other, that’s going to be OK, also. Boni has shown a lot of improvement.”
Rodriguez said hitting .240 and not being overmatched would suffice for Dominguez. If Dominguez, 21, flops, the Marlins might look for a cheap backup veteran infielder or hope Donnie Murphy is ready off wrist surgery.
• Some scouts worry about new No. 3 starter Javier Vazquez’s drop in fastball velocity from 91.1 mph in 2009 to 88.7 last season. But Beinfest said, “It’s not a huge concern. The stuff is still pretty good. He had some inconsistent opportunities in New York. … On paper, we are as confident as we have been in a pitching staff.”
Vazquez, 34, has won at least 10 games in each of the past 11 seasons, but batters hit .257 against him with the Yankees last season, compared with .223 when he pitched for the Braves in 2009. His strikeouts per nine innings dropped from 9.8 to 6.9.
• John Baker, off elbow surgery, knows his arm will not be strong enough to handle backup catching duties until possibly May, but general manager Michael Hill said the Marlins want to keep him on the roster as a left-handed bat off the bench until he’s ready to catch. Brett Hayes could be the backup catcher until Baker is ready.
Comment