Big-hitting left fielder, Manny Ramirez, is one of a few former Red Sox players to be named on the accomplished Hall of Fame ballot for next year.
Earlier this week the 2019 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot was released. The 35-player list included seven former Red Sox players. Both 2004 stars Kevin Youkilis and Derek Lowe, the former integral to 2007 also, were announced to appear on the ballot for the first time. They joined Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling, Jason Bay on the ballot, which also included Darren Oliver and Billy Wagner, both of whom experienced short stints with Boston.
The other former Sox player was none other than the great Manny Ramirez. It’s now Manny’s 3rd inclusion after he was left short last year, receiving 22.0% of votes.
For many, the former Red Sox outfielder would be the first person from this illustrious ballot to be given the incredible honor of being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. However, there have been two occasions where the majority of voters didn’t think the same thing. With Ramirez missing the cut on two occasions, it is still unlikely to think that the two-time World Series champion won’t be given the thumbs up eventually.
A twelve-time All-Star, a nine-time Silver Slugger, a two-time Hank Aaron award winner and a World Series MVP is a resume more than deserving of one of baseball’s greatest honors. Manny was a superstar to a generation, a hitting sensation that was highly sought after and hard to find. His career was as sensational as his presence at the plate was.
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Boston fans are lucky to have seen him at the time they did. Although Manny spent periods of his fantastic career in Cleveland, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Tampa, his greatest years came in Boston. He was the AL’s batting champion in 2002 and home run leader in 2004. What was more important was his contributions to the team. Manny was a leading figure in the Red Sox’s achievement of ending the eighty-six-year wait for a championship.
Along with the likes of David Ortiz, Ramirez, helped the Red Sox capture not one, but two, World Series titles over the course of four seasons. The 2004 season, which will stay important in Red Sox history forever, saw him finish third in AL MVP voting.
In the seven full seasons he spent in Boston, he recorded triple figures in RBI on six occasions. In his best two hitting years in Boston, which came back-to-back, Ramirez recorded 43 home runs and 130 RBI in the illustrious 2004 season and 45 home runs and 144 RBI in 2005.
Whatever everyone thinks of when referring to Ramirez, his legacy wasn’t just producing large numbers in every batting category, it was more than this. Manny was as clutch as they come when it came down to crunch time. He appeared in an astonishing 111 postseason games, finishing with a successful .285 batting average. Manny recorded 29 postseason home runs and batted in 78 runners in postseason play. With a career postseason OPS of .937, Ramirez will be remembered as a hitter who didn’t go missing when it mattered the most.
The Red Sox hero carried his weight for the seven years he spent in Boston. He performed immaculately in regular season and postseason play. The 2004 postseason campaign, which saw him go 7-for-17 in the World Series on the way to his first championship and a World Series MVP, will be remembered vividly by many. His 2007 ALDS Game Two walk-off homer against the Yankees at Fenway is also a pivotal moment in the lead up to clinching another title.
Manny made memories as a Red Sox player. He is a big name in the history of the game and his time in Boston, along with the rest of his time in the majors, comes together to form a terrific career which should someday get him into the Hall of Fame.