Next up would be Hanley Ramirez, but I’m going to skip him,
Hanley had a nice career, playing 15 seasons in the MLB, with a .289/.360/.486 batting line in 1668 games. 1834 hits, 271 home runs, 281 stolen bases and a 38.0 bWAR.
He played for the Marlins, Dodgers, Red Sox and Cleveland.
He’s one of many who had a great peak, but didn’t keep his numbers up at that level for long. In the four seasons from 2006 (his rookie year) to 2009, he hit .316/.387/.531 with 103 home runs and 164 steals, with a 23.3 bWAR. He peaked at a 7.3 bWAR, and had WAR values over 5 thrice.
Hanley won the Rookie of the Year award four times, received MVP votes four times (finishing second in 2009), made three All-Star teams, and won two Silver Sluggers.
He played on teams that made the playoffs four times, but he never made the World Series. In 20 playoff games, he hit .380/.450/.577 with one home run.
He was a shortstop for most of his career but wasn’t great defensively. He led the league in errors a couple of times, and FanGraphs had him at a -8.3 UZR/150 for his career at short.
The peak was good, but he had a bWAR under 1.0 in six of his 15 seasons.
Manny Ramirez was a good hitter….a bit of an understatement. Nineteen seasons, a .312/.411/.585 line with 555 home runs, 1831 RBI and a bWAR of 69.2.
It is his ninth time on the ballot. Last year, he was on 32.5% of the ballots. His numbers ranged from 20.0% to 33.2% in eight years, and they aren’t trending upward.
Manny made 12 All-Star teams, picked up MVP votes 11 times (finished 3rd twice, and in the top 10 9 times), won 9 Silver Slugger awards, the Hank Aaron Award, and was World Series MVP in 2004. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in 1994 after playing in 91 games.
And I know it shouldn’t impress me, but he drove in 165 in 1999 with Cleveland.
He played eight seasons with Cleveland, eight with the Red Sox, three with the Dodgers, and one with each of the Rays and White Sox.
Manny played left field (1037 games), right field (904 games), and DH (332 games). He was terrible defensively.
He also played 111 playoff games, hitting .285/.394/.554 with 29 home runs. He has two World Series rings.
On the negative side, he was suspended for PEDs twice. Players lose votes for PED use rumours, but they have proof with Manny. For me, it is often a question of whether the player would have been a Hall of Fame type without the help. Manny is a tough call, but his numbers are terrific. I don’t know how much to discount them because of the PEDs. I think both he and Barry Bonds deserve to be in the Hall, but they don’t give me a vote.
He and Andy Pettitte are an interesting pair. Both used. Manny had the better WAR (69.4 compared to 60.3). Both were playoff heroes (Manny holds the record for most playoff home runs with 29). Manny hit .285/.394/.544 in 111 playoff games. He was on two World Series-winning teams.
David Ortiz was linked to PEDs, and he was elected to the Hall his first time on the ballot. I wonder why the two would be judged differently. They were similar, poor defensive players, and a large part of the Red Sox beating the World Series curse (Manny was series MVP). Ramirez had a 69.3 bWAR, Ortiz 55.3. Manny had 555 home runs, Ortiz 541.
But Ortiz was “Big Pappy”. He was happy, friendly, and great with reporters.
Ramirez was not happy (though he had his moments), not friendly, and not great with reporters. Of course, the writers own the Hall of Fame ballots.
Ramirez’s stats are here.