Boston Red Sox: 30 Greatest Players in Team History
7: Manny Ramirez, OF (2001-2008)
As a career .312/.411/.585 hitter, Manny Ramirez may not have been the best fielder, but his bat more than made up for his lackluster defense. Who could forget the deadly 3-4 combo of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez? Signing with the Boston Red Sox in 2000 after eight seasons with the Cleveland Indians, Ramirez’s eight seasons in Boston were an overall success.
Ramirez not only brought his play onto the field but his personality was shown as well. Disappearing inside the Green Monster during various moments to high-fiving fans while running up the wall in Camden Yards, Ramirez was not afraid to be himself, which coined up the phrase “Manny Being Manny.”
If there’s one thing Manny brought to the Red Sox but also the game itself, have fun. Regardless of the embarrassing blunders he made in the outfield, Ramirez always found ways to laugh it off though he did take the game seriously. Manny never let his errors change his mentality and would get right back up, majority of the time smacking home runs over the Green Monster would make people forget about his embarrassing moments.
One of the greatest hitters of the modern era, Ramirez also excelled in the post season. Manny has the third most hits in post season history with 117, the second most RBI with 78 and holds the record for the most MLB post season home runs with an impressive 29. The next closest is Bernie Williams with 22.
While all of those post season numbers were not entirely from his time with the Red Sox, a majority of them were, as he was a major force for the team through their success in the 2000s. In fact, Ramirez took home the World Series MVP when the Red Sox broke the Curse of the Bambino, and was a major force in the middle of their lineup when they won the World Series again in 2007.
His personality made big difference not only for himself but to the clubhouse in general. Living up to his eight-year contract in Boston, Manny did not disappoint. He will not only go down as one of the best and most important players in Red Sox history, but he was also incredibly fun to watch.
Bio on Ramirez was given by Tim Felix. Check out his work.
Next: Number Six