Marlins' Hanley Ramirez Was On Hall of Fame Track Before His Career Tailed Off

Hanley Ramirez initially lived up to the hype with the Marlins, setting himself apart as one of the most productive shortstops of the late 2000s before bouncing around to the Dodgers and Red Sox.
June 17 2011; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez (2) at bat during the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Florida Marlins 5-1.
June 17 2011; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Florida Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez (2) at bat during the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Florida Marlins 5-1. / Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Hanley Ramirez may be on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for the first time this winter, but the chances he makes it to Cooperstown are slim to none.

According to Baseball Hall of Fame Vote Tracker, Ramirez has not appeared on any of the 128 ballots that have been made public thus far. Even if every remaining voter ticked off the box next to his name, Ramirez would still fall well short of the 75% required for induction in 2025.

At this point, Ramirez is just fighting to stay on the ballot another year. He needs to secure a vote on 7.7% of the remaining ballots in order to finish at 5.0% overall, which could prove to be a tall order for someone who is sitting at 0.0% as things currently stand.

It checks out that Ramirez is struggling to garner support, since his resume doesn't exactly scream Hall of Fame.

But for a time, it seemed like Ramirez was bound to be one of the faces of his generation.

Ramirez was a top-25 prospect in baseball heading into 2006, right after the Boston Red Sox traded him and three others to the Florida Marlins in exchange for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell. It didn't take long for the 22-year-old Dominican shortstop to establish himself in Miami, winning NL Rookie of the Year honors right off the bat.

From there, Ramirez placed 10th in NL MVP voting in 2007, followed by an 11th-place finish in 2008 and a runner-up finish in 2009. He won the NL batting title in 2009, plus Silver Sluggers in 2008 and 2009, and he was named an All-Star in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Through his first five seasons with the Marlins, Ramirez was batting .313 with 934 hits, 124 home runs, 198 doubles, 389 RBI, 562 runs, 196 stolen bases, a .906 OPS and a 26.1 WAR.

That production had Ramirez atop some pretty exclusive lists, considering he led all qualified MLB shortstops in home runs, runs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS and WAR from 2006 to 2010. He ranked second in batting average, behind only Derek Jeter, and second in stolen bases, behind only José Reyes.

Ramirez was the most productive player at baseball's most important position during that five-year stretch, on top of joining historic company with his stats. Before Ramirez, the only player to reach 100 home runs, 150 doubles, 175 stolen bases, 500 runs and 900 hits before turning 27 years old was Houston Astros center fielder César Cedeño – and the only player to do it since is Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout.

That is where Ramirez peaked, however, failing to follow through and make good on his Hall of Fame potential.

Slumps and a shoulder injury spoiled Ramírez's 2011 campaign, then he got moved to third base when Miami signed Reyes in 2012. Midway through that season, the Marlins traded Ramírez to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ramirez showed flashes of dominance again in 2013, finishing eighth in NL MVP voting despite appearing in just 86 games. He hit .345 with a 1.040 OPS that season, racking up 20 home runs, 57 RBI, 10 stolen bases and a 5.2 WAR despite the thumb and hamstring injuries.

The Red Sox welcomed Ramirez back in 2015, signing him to a four-year, $88 million contract. While he hit just .260 with a .776 OPS and 1.6 WAR over the length of that entire deal, he at least broke through with 30 home runs, 111 RB, a .286 batting average and an .866 OPS in 2016.

Before getting cut loose in 2018 – just as Boston was gearing up for a successful World Series run – Ramirez had bounced around to left field, first base and designated hitter. He was no longer the slim, five-tool athlete he had been in Miami, instead transforming into a trunkier, modern slugger.

Ramirez latched on with the Cleveland Indians for a few games in 2019, but that marked the end of his time in the big leagues.

Following his historic, perennially league-leading start, Ramirez's career had tailed off in a major way. He hit just .267 with a .794 OPS after his 27th birthday, averaging a 1.3 WAR across his final nine MLB seasons.

Had you asked someone in 2011 what Ramirez would finish his career with, they probably would have guessed upwards of 2,500 hits, 350 home runs, 500 doubles, 1,000 RBI, 400 stolen bases and a 60.0 WAR. Instead, he had 1,834 hits, 271 home runs, 375 doubles, 917 RBI, 281 stolen bases and a 38.0 WAR.

The three-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger remained exactly that from age 26 on, never once picking up another major individual accolade.

Ramirez has injuries to blame for his dropoff, as well as instability in the field, the lack of a consistent home throughout his supposed prime years and a handful of other factors. Regardless, the end result is that Ramirez will not be looked back on as a Hall of Fame-worthy player, despite looking like a sure-fire inductee in his mid-20s.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a Staff Writer for Fastball on the Sports Illustrated/FanNation networks. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's All Bruins, 247Sports' Bruin Report Online, Rivals' Bruin Blitz, the Bleav Podcast Network and the Daily Bruin, with his work as a sports columnist receiving awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for Sports Illustrated/FanNation's New England Patriots site, Patriots Country, and he was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk.