Starting over: Hanley Ramirez works out at first base
Well, that didn’t work out as expected. After transitioning to left field this season, it appears Hanley Ramirez will become the future first baseman of the Boston Red Sox.
[On this week’s StewPod: Angels pitcher Hector Santiago talks about his huge autograph collection.]
Ramirez worked out at first base prior to Tuesday’s game, though it’s unclear how soon the club wants him to play the position in a game.
Interim manager Terry Lovullo told Ian Browne of MLB.com that Ramirez needs to be comfortable before the club throws him out there.
“It’s a soft schedule,” said interim manager Torey Lovullo. “We’re going to make some adjustments based on what Butter sees. We’re not going to rush and say that there’s a firm date he’s going to be in a game. There’s a lot of information.
“It’s going to be a crash course, and for him to play in a Major League game at first base, Hanley has to be 100 percent comfortable. He’s going to tell us when that is. If he’s not, we’re looking to see what we can do for 2016. That’s the whole idea. We want to make sure we have everything in order for this team to move forward today, tomorrow and in the future.”
That quote from Lovullo seems to indicate the team is looking at Hanley as their first baseman in 2016, though it’s possible he’ll see time at first before the end of this season.
The move makes a ton of sense for the club moving forward. Ramirez can’t shift back to shortstop or third with Xander Bogaerts and Pablo Sandoval firmly entrenched in those spots. As the team has shown lately, they have a lot of young talent in the outfield, and those guys might be in line for full-time roles in 2016. Mookie Betts is certain to be a starter, while both Rusney Castillo and Jackie Bradley Jr. have shown promise recently.
Even if Ramirez is hitting, it’s tough to put up with his defense in the outfield. Few knew how Ramirez would handle the transition when it was initially announced, but it’s safe to say no one thought he would be this bad.
According to FanGraphs, Ramirez has a -16.7 UZR this season, the worst figure in the game. There are plenty of issues with advanced defensive metrics, but even the eye test isn’t kind to Ramirez. A number of his defensive miscues can be found in the video archives over at MLB.com.
To his credit, Ramirez has handled the situation extremely well, according to MLB.com.
Ramirez seemed enthusiastic about switching positions for the second time in less than a year.
“Just the footwork, that’s what we did today,” said Ramirez. “Find the bag with your left foot and go from there. It’s going to take a little adjusting. The other question is, ‘Am I going to play there this year?’ Maybe yes. Why not? If I feel good, I’ll go out there. I’m not scared. I’m born for this and I can play, and I’m really happy to be in the lineup.”
Ramirez developed a reputation as being a troublesome player in the locker room earlier in his career, but he’s been willing to put up with a lot of changes with the Red Sox and hasn’t complained about them.
Ramirez still has at least three years and $66 million guaranteed on his current deal, so the Red Sox needed to find a way to keep him in the lineup. When healthy, he’s still among one of the best hitters in the game.
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It’s possible the move to first will aid with that. While scooping balls isn’t easy, Ramirez shouldn’t have to move around as much at first, and won’t be running shoulder-first into any walls.
Ramirez’s last defensive change turned out to be a disaster, and put the Red Sox in a bad spot all season. Here’s hoping his latest move will be a bit smoother.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
