Manny Ramirez, no. 24

Birth Date: May 30, 1972 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Height/Weight: 6'0", 190 lbs.

Contract: 8 years at $160 million (through 2008)

Manny Ramirez had a down year last season and yet, it was still extremely impressive. His Batting Average was a very good .296. He had 143 hits; 33 of them were doubles, 1 was a triple, and 20 home runs. He scored 84 runs and batted in 88. He Struck Out 92 times (19%) and Walked 71 times (14%). He had 8 Sacrifice Flies. He was Intentionally Walked 13 times and Hit By a Pitch 7 times. All of which contributed to an On Base Percentage of .388 and a Slugging average of .493. His On base Plus Slugging was a very respectable .881 (it was his lowest OPS since his rookie year.)

He played 120 games in left field last season. He had 182 Put Outs and 8 Assists but was charged with 2 Errors. He has a reputation as a lazy outfielder but his Fielding Percentage last season was .990, a little above the league average of .985. His Range Factor, which is used to determine the amount of field a player covers, holds up his reputation. His Range Factor per 9 Innings was 1.72, when the league average was 2.11.

He has a reputation as a bit of a space cadet. He seems self-centered (he does what he wants without regard to what is expected from him) but not in a malicious way. He's just sort of oblivious. He's an eccentric and let's just leave it at that.

Manny is probably in an age-related decline. He missed twenty-odd games at the end of last season because of a strained left oblique muscle. That being said, he has apparently spent the winter getting into great shape. With the plate discipline he has displayed in the past, if he shows up to spring training in excellent shape, then he could have a monster season next year.