Hanley Ramirez – The Pride of South Florida Baseball

On November 24, 2005 the Florida Marlins acquired a promising 21 year old Minor League prospect by the name of Hanley Ramirez as part of a trade with the Boston Red Sox that saw all-Stars Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell depart from Miami for good. I can remember at the time hearing plenty of grumblings about Marlins ownership and their unwillingness to shell out the big bucks in order to keep big time talent in South Florida.

The truth of the matter was, my relationship with the Marlins was already deeply scarred by the fire-sale that took place immediately after the 1997 World Championship. At the time I was 11 years old and I couldn’t understand all the business and bottom lines of it, I just knew that all of my favorite players had been sold off and my favorite team had turned into some sort of Major League garage sale. Not even the second championship title in 2003 was able to fully rehash my boyhood love for the fish.

Don’t get me wrong though, they are still my team. They will always be my team when it comes to baseball; but sometimes you have to learn to accept the things you love in spite of their flaws.

However I must say the past two years have brought me new hope in the form of a 24 year old shortstop from the Dominican Republic. In his first season with the marlins (2006) Hanley stole 51 bases and scored 119 runs, ultimately winning himself National League Rookie of the year. In 2007 he repeated that trend by stealing 51 bases, scoring 125 runs, and producing an overall on base percentage of .381.

Part of his charm and appeal to me was the fact that he was making big waves in the pool, without actually having to splash around too much. What i mean by that is he was a player who’s actions on the field did the speaking for him, there was no ego there. In an era of A-Rod’s banking over 250 million dollars in contracts, our Florida Marlins starting shortstop was making roughly $350,00 a season.

The problem then became the impending sale or trade that I was sure to come once other teams around the league starting taking notice at our boy. I figured that I would just enjoy him while I could, and focus the majority of my emotional investments on things less likely to leave me. Then something big happened.

In March of this year Marlins ownership finally pulled the trigger and signed Hanley Ramirez to a cool six year $70 million contract. Hopefully that means our boy will stay in a turquoise and white uniform at least until he turns 30.

This year he became only the second Marlin in franchise history to start in a major league all-star game, and when he ran onto the field during pre-game ceremonies alongside the likes of Whitey Ford, Reggie Jackson, Willie Mays, and Yogi Berra… I must say I felt for a moment that the wounds of post 1997 began to heal and my love for the Florida Marlins again filled me with much pride. Thank you Hanley!

5 Reasons why even non baseball fans can love Hanley Ramirez:

1. He seems to preform his best when hes needed the most. (how many people do you know that you can say THAT about?)
2. He doesn’t swing at crappy pitches. (okay, maybe non baseball fans wont appreciate that one)
3. He refers to his teammates as his “hermanos” or “brothers” (that kinda teamwork and commitment would thrive in any corporate environment)
4. He constantly professes his undying love to his fans and those who always believed in him.
5. He’s a stand up husband and father of two.