Red Sox Need a Healthy Hanley Ramirez to Contend

In this season of breakout stars and woeful pitching for the Boston Red Sox, there is one player the team will need to stay healthy if their ticket to the playoffs is to be punched.

That man’s name is Hanley Ramirez.

You can probably go down the lineup and find players having better seasons than Ramirez. Truth be told, his steady–if not unspectacular–hitting and fielding make Ramirez just as important as the play of the others.

David Ortiz? Of course he is integral. Big Papi will continue to be a key cog for the Red Sox until that inevitable day he swings at his last pitch.

The “Killer B’s” of Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley (not to be confused with the original “Killer B’s” of Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio) are all under the age of 25, are having all-star seasons, and will hopefully be in Boston for a long time to come.

As important as the others are, it is a healthy Ramirez and his new found leadership that will be key to how the Red Sox finish in these last three months.

Ramirez played relatively injury-free baseball for the season’s first half, but found himself sitting out the last two games prior to the All-Star break thanks to a shin contusion.

The first baseman has played in 81 games this season, including some at DH, committing only three errors with a .995 fielding percentage.At the plate, Ramirez is hitting .288 with 8 home runs and 48 RBI’s. He also has a OBP of .367.

In a lineup that is scoring runs at a record pace, the bat of Ramirez is just as vital. He is on pace to drive in 90 runs, his highest total since 2012 (those stats were accumulated between two teams).

In fact, despite being known as a power hitter, Ramirez has only once crossed the 100-RBI threshold, doing that in 2009.Ramirez also currently has his highest batting average since 2010, unless you count his injury-shortened 2013 when he hit .345.

He has been a consistent slugger over the years, often doing what the team is required of him. For the Red Sox this season, that involves batting fifth and being a right-handed bat to protect Ortiz in the order.

If he’s not there, suddenly teams might decide to pitch around Ortiz knowing the guy behind him isn’t quite as dangerous. The Red Sox also need his aforementioned leadership to be present in the clubhouse, as he has helped bring back an easy going attitude to the clubhouse (winning helps as well, but hey, we’ll take it.)

It’s not too serious now, but a possible long term injury to Ramirez might also give GM Dave Dombrowski one more thing to worry about in what figures to be a busy trade deadline.

Dombrowski has already been busy with three trades prior to the All-Star break, including the acquisition of Aaron Hill. Hill will be a nice insurance card if injuries continue to plague Ramirez, Travis Shaw and Brock Holt.

Or perhaps, Dombrowski is listening to the plea of Ortiz to bring in top talent. Maybe the GM has something larger in mind and, this is merely my wild imagination, Dombrowski will be dangling Ramirez as trade bait, effectively having brought in Hill as a replacement.

Next: Red Sox Shine in All-Star Game

Anything can happen before the August 1 trade deadline, but I for one would not want to see Ramirez go. He has earned his place in the Boston clubhouse this season and is one of the reasons the team has bounced back. With a healthy Ramirez, the Red Sox will go far. Without a healthy Ramirez, the Red Sox may be in for a long slog just as the AL East race is tightening up.

Here’s to hoping for the best.