Two is better than one – Hanley and Manny
Hanley Ramirez was absolutely the bottom of the defensive barrel in his adventurous activities in left field. Give credit to HanRam as he willingly took on the task, but his skill set was certainly missing. This is somewhat unusual since infielders often can make the adjustment. Possibly the only one that could match Hanley’s futility was Kevin Youkilis.
Ramirez was an embarrassment. His reactions to the ball were nil. Hanley was lost on what to do once he captured the ball. Which base? Where to throw it? What’s a cut-off man? Will it hit the wall? Will I hit the wall? Ramirez finished dead last in UZR/150 (-31.9).
Manny Ramirez is remembered for some rather bizarre moments in the outfield. Always an adventure and a “Manny being Manny” moment could surface at any time. The beauty of Ramirez is his hitting. Manny could put a lounge chair in left and sip Margarita’s on defense and still be valuable.
If you are a believer in advanced fielding metrics Manny has a career -20.2 UZR/150. Manny also chipped in with a Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) of -96 for his career. The only reason Manny was in the field is the Red Sox already had a fairly competent Designated Hitter.