Friday February 10th, 2012

Rob Bland:  Manny Ramirez is one of the best right-handed hitters of his generation.  As his career hits its twilight, you can argue either way that he does or does not have a Hall of Fame career.  On one hand, he was suspended twice for PED usage.  Once for 50 games in 2009 with the LA Dodgers after testing positive for a female fertility drug, and the other a 100 game ban in 2011, in which he decided to retire with the Tampa Bay Rays.  However, after sitting out the full season, Major League Baseball has agreed to reduce the sentence to 50 games after Ramirez stated his interest in returning for the 2012 season.  On the other hand, Ramirez has accumulated 69.6 fWAR, with a career OPS+ of 154.  He has hit 555 home runs in 19 seasons, is a 12-time All-Star, 9-time Silver Slugger, and finished in the top 10 of MVP voting 9 times.   (more…)