MLB

Despite Hustle Issues, Hanley Ramirez Still Our #2 MLB Player

Hanley Ramirez of the Florida Marlins has had a rough time lately, stemming back to an incident a week ago when he loafed after a live ball he accidentally kicked, leading to his removal from the game. Ramirez subsequently made matters worse by bad-mouthing his manager, Fredi Gonzalez. And what did Ramirez get for disgracing the game and blatant insubordination? Why, an elite ranking on our MLB Player Power Grid, of course!

In truth, Ramirez is more than good enough on the field to deserve such a ranking – after all, he places 2nd on our Performance Value Rating list, behind only the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols. And Ramirez actually has a more versatile offensive skill set than Pujols (witness his consecutive 50-stolen-base seasons in 2006 and 2007). But it seems that Ramirez’ talent has always come with a price. From the first linked SI piece:

Ramirez’s maturity level is said by people around the team to be nowhere near even his 25 years, and he’s earned their disrespect through previous misdeeds, many of which were cagily obscured by Gonzalez. Team sources say he has on occasion made a spectacle of himself on team flights.

Apparently, Gonzalez wasn’t the only one tired of Ramirez’ antics: Hall of Famer Andre Dawson, a member of the Marlins’ organization, gave Ramirez a stern talking-to after the incident:

“You really have stepped across the line. You owe that manager a sincere apology. And if you think your teammates have your back with this, you’ve got another thing coming because the mind-set, and this is from me to you, the mind-set is these guys are laughing at you . . .Don’t think that you’re ever bigger than the game. I don’t care how much money you make because this game will humble you and it will humble you fast.”

Dawson does not appear to mince words, and it certainly sounds like they were words Ramirez needed to hear. But still…check those numbers again. The guy can play. And so he’ll never quite feel the pain of Washington Nationals outfielder Nyjer Morgan, who recently made a similar gaffe: he gave up an inside-the-park home run after he slammed his glove to the ground in disgust because he failed to catch a fly ball. Morgan’s Power Grid rank, though: #171. The Grid makes it clear – if you’re going to make embarrassing mistakes, it’s best to have overwhelming talent.