Posted January 31, 201113 yr From Hardball Talk blog Look out world, Hanley Ramirez is ready to play hard this season. No more fooling around for this kid. No more treating ground balls with that special Roger Dorn flair. No more strutting around like he taught Abner Doubleday the nuances of the game. No more spotting the pitcher a pitch or two in each at-bat. Ramirez, the star shortstop of the Florida Marlins, is ready to rebound from a sub-par 2010 season in which his average dropped 42 points, his RBIs plummeted from 106 to 76 and his defense regressed from casual to careless. With spring training only two weeks away, the enigmatic star is ready to return to the form of 2009 that nearly netted him the NL MVP award. He says he “has the hunger of a rookie,� and started his offseason workouts a month early, according to a report from Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “Everyone will be very surprised with the new Hanley and his whole makeup,� manager Edwin Rodriguez said. “He is very motivated. He was very disappointed in his season. He knows the whole offense revolves around him.� Good for him. It’s heartwarming to see a three-time All-Star who is about to make $11 million decide that unlike last year, this time he really means business. These sorts of stories always make me wonder why he wasn’t motivated before? Perhaps it’s a matter of being too good too soon, and you just assume you’re going to hit .340 and drive in 100 every year. It just comes that easily. Or maybe it’s a matter of looking at the prospect of making $57 million over the next four seasons and feeling pretty happy with yourself. Either way, Marlins fans are going to be facing years of frustration if their best player has to remember to be motivated every of couple of seasons. Ramirez is obviously a great talent, and even a down season like 2010 translated into an OPS+ of 124. But he’ll have to realize at some point that you can’t get by on talent alone. Otherwise you end up like Shawn Kemp, and nobody wants to see that. Jackson reports that last year, opposing pitchers figured out that a steady diet of sinking pitches down-and-in would hold Ramirez in check, and the Marlins star never adjusted. And then there is the issue of his attitude, which some teammates perceive – according to Jackson – as moody. Marlins special assistant Andre Dawson put it this way late last season: “When he’s struggling, he’s humbled and more approachable and communicative and you see a different makeup. When he’s on a hot streak, you see a lot of swagger. Some players don’t like that and call it selfishness or ‘hot dog.’ … You have to always show interest in teammates when they are struggling.� There’s nothing wrong with a little humility. And knowing what a joy it is to watch Ramirez at his best, one can only hope that his new-found motivation has a lasting impact.
January 31, 201113 yr never miss an opportunity for a Shawn Kemp reference Might sound a bit ignorant here, but who is Shawn Kemp?
January 31, 201113 yr never miss an opportunity for a Shawn Kemp reference Might sound a bit ignorant here, but who is Shawn Kemp? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawn_Kemp
January 31, 201113 yr never miss an opportunity for a Shawn Kemp reference Might sound a bit ignorant here, but who is Shawn Kemp? Stud basketball player, who had a reputation of being lazy, and became fat. He played for the Seattle Supersonics, back when they existed/were good, with Gary Payton, etc.
January 31, 201113 yr I look forward to seeing Hanley Ramirez hungry. He should learn from Mark Sanchez:
January 31, 201113 yr All good news about Hanley, until he gets upset over a minor issue during Spring Training like every year and the media jumps on it as if we now have to trade him.
January 31, 201113 yr Lets just hope he doesn't get a hunger like Cabrera and eats his way to first base, Miggy was a SS at one time too!
January 31, 201113 yr Lets just hope he doesn't get a hunger like Cabrera and eats his way to first base, Miggy was a SS at one time too! :lol Well done, sir.
January 31, 201113 yr i hope i see a man on a mission to take this team farther then the regular season
January 31, 201113 yr Good to see that from him. Now we just need Coghlan to return to decent form, Gaby to repeat, LoMo and Stanton to keep improving, Infante to get on base like he did last year, the bullpen to be for real and the Starting Pitchers to be solid and we win 100 games.
January 31, 201113 yr Good to see that from him. Now we just need Coghlan to return to decent form, Gaby to repeat, LoMo and Stanton to keep improving, Infante to get on base like he did last year, the bullpen to be for real and the Starting Pitchers to be solid and we win 100 games. agreed should be an exciting season
January 31, 201113 yr Lets just hope he doesn't get a hunger like Cabrera and eats his way to first base, Miggy was a SS at one time too! I came into this thread hoping this joke had not been used. I envy you, good sir.
February 1, 201113 yr Must be nice to play like Hanley did last year and not really give a damn. Will be interesting to see how he does this year being "motivated." Can't freaking wait for opening day or ST for that matter.
February 1, 201113 yr Good to see that from him. Now we just need Coghlan to return to decent form, Gaby to repeat, LoMo and Stanton to keep improving, Infante to get on base like he did last year, the bullpen to be for real and the Starting Pitchers to be solid and we win 100 games. .......and the Phillies win 101.
February 1, 201113 yr Good to see that from him. Now we just need Coghlan to return to decent form, Gaby to repeat, LoMo and Stanton to keep improving, Infante to get on base like he did last year, the bullpen to be for real and the Starting Pitchers to be solid and we win 100 games. .......and the Phillies win 101. Wild Card fever baby!
February 1, 201113 yr Good to see that from him. Now we just need Coghlan to return to decent form, Gaby to repeat, LoMo and Stanton to keep improving, Infante to get on base like he did last year, the bullpen to be for real and the Starting Pitchers to be solid and we win 100 games. .......and the Phillies win 101. Wild Card fever baby! It's what we do best!
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