Once the most feared right-handed hitter in Major League Baseball, Manny Ramirez is currently serving a 50-game suspension for his second positive drug test. He retired from the Tampa Bay Rays last season after being issued a 100-game suspension for the failed test, but since he sat out nearly all of last season, his sentence was reduced to 50 games on appeal.
The 12-time All-Star is eligible to return to the majors on May 30, which just so happens to be Manny's 40th birthday. This will be Ramirez's 20th major league season, and his career numbers are incredible. The lifetime .312 hitter sits at No. 14 on the all-time home run list with 555 long balls. He has driven in 1,831 runs in his career.
But the question remains: Does Manny still have it in him to be a dangerous hitter in the majors?
His time in Tampa Bay last season, albeit very brief, would suggest that Ramirez is just about finished. Before failing the drug test, he was just 1-for-17 in five games with the Rays.
That didn't stop the A's from taking a chance on the once-dangerous slugger, though. Oakland signed Ramirez to a one-year contract that will pay him $500,000 if he cracks the big league roster.
At the very least, Manny will drive fans to the stadium for the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats. The team has already created a limited edition "Manny Pack," which includes 20 or 40 vouchers for any River Cats game in addition to a Ramirez River Cats T-shirt.
Ramirez will always be known as much for his antics as he will for his dominant play. His potential impact is unknown at this point, but the nine-time Silver Slugger has gotten his name in the headlines once again.
That's just one last case of Manny being Manny.
