Red Sox: Hanley Ramirez received DH advice from David Oritz
By Sean Penney
As he transitions into a new role as the primary designated hitter for the Boston Red Sox, Hanley Ramirez reveals advice he received from David Ortiz.
Gone, but not forgotten. That’s the sentiment that Hanley Ramirez carries with him into his first spring training with the Boston Red Sox without his “big brother,” David Ortiz.
The clubhouse down in Fort Myers is a bit quieter this spring without the larger than life presence of Big Papi. His boisterous laugh, beaming smile and boundless energy will be sincerely missed by a Red Sox squad preparing for their first post-Ortiz season.
Ramirez can stroll into camp wearing a No. 34 Ortiz tee-shirt and he can occupy his old locker, but he has a ways to go to fill the shoes of the retired icon. The 33-year old is now one of the elder statesmen of a Red Sox roster flush with young talent, but he doesn’t have the charismatic personality that made Ortiz a natural leader. His quiet demeanor contrasts with Ortiz’ outgoing approach, but he’s learned quite a bit from his former teammate and strives to follow his example.
Ortiz isn’t likely to make an appearance at Red Sox camp, but that doesn’t mean his presence isn’t felt. Ramirez has kept in contact with his old friend, who continues to pass on valuable advice that can help him on and off the field.
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The departure of Ortiz has paved the way for Ramirez to take over as the primary designated hitter for the Red Sox, which is a role he’s coveted since the day he signed with Boston. He’s been very successful when given the opportunity in the past, hitting .364 with four home runs in the 11 games that he filled in for Ortiz last season. Ramirez has talked about the advantage of being able to retreat to the tunnel to watch video of his at-bats while his teammates are in the field, which may explain why he’s thrived in that role.
As eager as Ramirez is to transition toward being the DH on a regular basis, the change is not without a potential downside. As the Boston Herald’s Jason Mastrodonato writes, Ramirez revealed to reporters at JetBlue Park on Thursday that Ortiz has warned him about the pitfalls of being a DH that he must be cautious of.
"“Do you really want to know what he told me?” Ramirez said. “He said, ‘Someday you’re going to get crazy because all you can do is hit and when things are not going good, what can you do? You just go out there and try not to think about it until your next at-bat.’“Honestly, he told me, ‘At first it’s going to be a little hard because when you can play defense you can help the team in two ways.’ But DH it’s pretty much just offense so I’ve just got to find a way to separate between those at-bats and cheer from the dugout.”"
Ramirez has a strong track record throughout his career as a DH, owning a .331/.381/.634 slash line that dwarfs the numbers he’s put up in any other role. It also comes in a much smaller sample size. Having spent most of his career in the National League, Ramirez has only spent 36 games as a DH over his 12 year career.
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This year will be different, as for the first time, Ramirez will be asked to spend the bulk of his playing time at DH.
He’ll still see some time at first base against left-handed pitching, allowing manager John Farrell to swap out the left-handed hitting Mitch Moreland for lefty-masher Chris Young, but Ramirez will be given his first prolonged exposure to being a DH.
How will Ramirez respond to falling into a slump when hitting is the only way he’s able to contribute? Will he become complacent about playing defense if he’s not asked to grab a glove on a regular basis? Will he eventually get bored of spending half the game on the bench? These are the unknowns that shadow Ramirez entering the season.
It remains to be seen how Ramirez will handle his third position change in three years, but at least this is one transition he’s openly excited about. He also couldn’t have asked for a better teacher, having spent the past two seasons learning from the greatest designated hitter in major league history.
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Ortiz is no longer an active member of the Red Sox, but he remains a significant part of the franchise. His lessons live on through former teammates, like Ramirez. While the new Red Sox DH won’t be able to look to Ortiz in the clubhouse every day, he knows that his friend and mentor is merely a phone call away.