Hanley given red light?

March 26, 2008 · Paul Raymond · Jump to comments

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Is Florida Marlins SS Hanley Ramirez being given a red light on the base paths? That’s not something fantasy owners of Hanley or Marlins’ fans want to hear. Well, if its up to manager Fredi Gonzalez he won’t be stealing as much as he used to. Gonzalez wants to concentrate on keeping Ramirez healthy and therefore enabling the team to win more games. So will Ramirez get to steal 50 plus bases again? Gonzalez said, “I hope not. The reason being, the more your body gets banged up — the wear and tear. He’s a guy who hits .300, he hits you 30 [home runs], and has a chance to drive in a lot of runs. I’m scared, because the more you attempt to steal, even if you don’t steal, you’re diving back to first base. You’re getting beaten up pretty good.”

My thinking, Ramirez is going to still get the green light most of the time. This team actually has its best chance of winning games with him being a terror on the bases as well as at the plate. Ramirez is still only 24, and his body should hold up to more of a beating then a 30-year old player. There may be points during the season, when he has nagging injury he’ll given an all out red light. The team quietly did that last year against team with top catchers who can neutralize the running game. “We’ll see,” Gonzalez said. “If he has a chance to steal 50, as long as he’s not beaten up, we’ll see.”

This guy is an amazing young talent who has the chance to be one of the greats in our era. As Hanley ages, I’m sure his steals will go down and homers up, I just don’t think that time is now. But for all you fantasy owners, he’s still a top 3 pick in any draft so don’t go jumping off a bridge just yet.