Fantasy Baseball: Where Will Hanley Ramirez Have the Biggest Impact?
The Boston Red Sox surprised everybody on Friday by announcing they had designated long-time first baseman and designated hitter Hanley Ramirez for assignment in order to make room for the returning Dustin Pedroia.
Boston signed the former Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Dodgers star to a four-year, $88 million deal before the 2015 season, and he never came close to earning that hefty salary. In 44 games this year, (195 PAs) he is slashing .254/.313/.395 with 7 doubles, 6 homers, 29 RBI and 25 runs scored. His wOBA of .310 is tied for 18th among 25 qualified first basemen and is 9th among 13 designated hitters.
In his four years in Boston, he never became the star they paid for. His best season was in 2016, when he hit .286/.361/.505 with 30 dingers and 28 doubles, while knocking in 111 and scoring 81 runs. But that was his only season with an OPS over .750, and in 2017 he hit just .242/.320/.429 with 23 homers in 133 games.
However, for any team looking to add Ramirez, there are reasons to think he may not be totally done yet. If he's in a platoon role, he can hit lefties, with a slash line of .333/.378/.476 against them this year. He also has been hurt by some bad luck, with a BABIP of .152, which suggests his numbers could get better. He also got out to a hot start in April, hitting .330/.400/.474 with a 40.6% hard-hit rate and 3 dingers from the number-two and -three spots in the lineup.
So, since his career doesn't seem done quite yet, which potential destinations would serve as the best landing spot for Ramirez and his fantasy impact?
