Manny Ramirez Tale of the Tape

Manny Ramirez has played in Cleveland, Boston and Los Angeles. But which Manny has been the best?

Category	Cleveland Manny	Boston Manny	L.A. Manny	Advantage

Years	Manny began his major league career in 1993. He spent eight seasons in Cleveland before leaving town after the 2000 season.	Manny never really got comfortable in Boston after arriving as a free agent for the 2001 season. He lasted until July 31, 2008, when he was traded to the Dodgers.	L.A. has been Manny’s first stop since Boston. He was traded at the trade deadline in 2008 and ended up with the Dodgers. He is signed through 2010.	Push. Manny is still going strong in his 18th season in the big leagues. The 38-year-old might hint at retirement, but $20 million to be somebody’s DH might be hard to turn down.
Stats	The Legend of Manny was born as he wasted no time putting up big-time numbers with the Tribe: .313 BA, .407 OBP, .592 SLG, 40 HR, 135 RBIs.	Hitting was never a problem, and Manny put up huge numbers: .312 BA, 40 HRs, 130 RBIs, 111 runs, 184 hits.	A steroid suspension hurt Manny’s numbers overall since he arrived in L.A., but his 162-game averages are still Manny-like. At a full season’s pace, Manny would average 33 home runs and 115 RBIs.	Cleveland. Manny didn’t just roll out of bed with a .312 BA, 40 home runs and 131 RBIs. His work ethic began long before he was drafted by the Indians, but he put his talent on display for the world with the Tribe.
Position	Manny wasn’t always a left fielder. He began his career patrolling right.	Manny played 1083 games in Boston. Most of them were in left field (837) with a few at DH (320) and right field (7).	With no designated hitter to hide his lackluster fielding skills, Manny roams left field at Chavez Ravine, as his cheering section — “Mannywood” — cheers him on.	Push. Manny has joked about winning a Gold Glove, but sometimes, his defense is the joke. Still, he’s made some great plays over the years.
Height/weight	He is listed at 6 feet, 195 pounds on his rookie card.	The only time he wasn’t 6 feet, 205 pounds was when he dropped to 200 pounds in 2005.	Manny is the same height (6-0) he was when he made his major league debut, and at 200 pounds, he’s five pounds over his rookie playing weight.	Push. Manny Ramirez is a big kid in a man’s body.
Honors	Manny made four AL All-Star teams, won three Sillver Sluggers and a Hank Aaron Award, and led the AL in RBIs in 1999.	Love him or hate him, you must respect Manny’s accomplishments — seven-time All-Star, six-time Silver Slugger, 2002 AL batting champ (.349 BA), 2004 World Series MVP.	Manny has yet to win any sort of hardware since being traded away, but did finish fourth in MVP voting in 2008 after appearing in only 53 games in L.A.	Push. Manny belongs in Cooperstown. Let’s hope baseball writer’s drop the soap-box sanctimoniousness when it comes to Hall of Fame voting for him.
Controversy	Manny’s Cleveland career was, for the most part, free of controversy. That was until he became a free agent and left town for a fat contract in Boston.	Where do we begin? He removed himself from the lineup, fought a teammate, shoved the traveling secretary, arrived late to spring training, refused to pinch hit and socialized with Yankees. Other than that, he was a model citizen.	While many Manny moments could be characterized as cute, there was nothing funny about Manny being the most popular, well-known player suspended for violating MLB’s new steroid policy.	Los Angeles. Despite all of Manny’s zany antics and questionable decisions over the years, it comes down to this: Would you still want him at the plate in the bottom of the ninth and down by a run?
Lineup protection	The Indians boasted one of the most lethal lineups in baseball in the mid to late ’90s. At times, it started with Kenny Lofton, Omar Vizquel, Ramirez, Jim Thome and Sandy Alomar. Before that, David Justice often batted fifth behind Ramirez.	Manny and Big Papi were a dangerous 3-4 combo. When Manny moved to cleanup, Carl Everett, Nomar Garciaparra and David Ortiz were the No. 3 hitters. The No. 5 hitters were more varied and included Dante Bichette, Shea Hillenbrand, Kevin Millar, Trot Nixon, J.D. Drew and Mike Lowell.	Perhaps Manny’s biggest contribution to the Dodgers is the lineup protection that he himself has provided for the likes of young stars Andre Ethier and Matt Kemp.	Boston. The 2004 Red Sox lineup will go down as one of the most amazing in baseball history, and Manny and David Ortiz led the charge and set the intimidating tone.
Managers	Mike Hargrove was Manny’s manager from his rookie season through 1999. Charlie Manuel took over for his final year in Cleveland in 2000.	Manny wasn’t always the easiest player to manage, but Jimy Williams, Joe Kerrigan, Grady Little and Terry Francona did admirable jobs without going crazy.	One of the most interesting storylines of Manny in Hollywood has been his interactions with his new boss, former Yankees skipper Joe Torre.	Boston. Terry Francona doesn’t get enough credit for the job he does as Red Sox manager, and his handling of Manny might be his best work.
Playoff numbers	He posted up-and-down numbers in 52 postseason games. Some were good (13 HR, 26 RBI, .473 SLG, 28 BB). Some were not so good (.335 OBP, .223 BA, 50 SO).	Opposing pitchers did not want to see Manny in the batter’s box in October. In 43 postseason games, Manny hit .321 with 11 home runs, 38 RBIs, 29 runs and a .980 OPS.	No stranger to postseason success, in four playoff series with the Dodgers, Manny is hitting .386 and has hit five home runs with 14 RBIs in just 16 games.	Boston. Manny didn’t shrink under the bright lights. Once he got to the Show, he knew how to produce when it was showtime. The bigger the stage, the better Manny performed.
Average salary	His $1.88 million per year looks like chump change now.	Manny made roughly $18,404,783 per season in Boston. He was so rich, he could afford to leave uncashed checks in his locker.	After his eight-year, $160 million contract with Boston ended, Manny signed a two-year, $45 million contract to stay with the Blue Crew. That’s $22.5 million reasons a year to love L.A.	Push. Manny has made millions over the years, and no one’s ever claimed he’s overpaid. How could he be? He’s made many more millions for his teams.
Hair	Unlike his corn-rowed incarnation in Boston and L.A., Manny kept his hair tight in Cleveland. He grew the occasional little chin beard for style.	The enigma sported many hairstyles through the years: puffy afro, cornrows, dreadlocks, sometimes dyed blonde, sometimes with red string. It all depended on his mood.	Dodger fans accepted Manny immediately and then wholeheartedly embraced his hairstyle – the messy dreadlocks – right away. The hairstyle has become immortal for the Dodger faithful.	Boston. Dreadlocks worked for Bob Marley, and they also worked for Manny.
Uniform	Manny’s jersey size was appropriate in Cleveland, with his pants and jersey fitting properly. Toward the end of his Cleveland career, his jersey bumped up a few sizes.	He wore No. 24 with baggy pants, a baggy top and socks rarely showing. The casual look and carefree attitude belied a killer instinct on the field.	Different team, different colors, same baggy uniform style for Manny. Instead of his trademark “24” uniform number, Manny adopted a familiar number to L.A. fans: 99.	Boston. Manny might not been the originator of the baggy look or the pajama style, but he perfected it.
Best quote	“I don’t need any tickets. I can give you tickets.” –Ramirez, to a police officer who was threatening to write him a ticket for illegally tinted windows. Ramirez was clearly thinking of another kind of ticket.	“I guess when you don’t feel good and you still get hits – that’s when you know you’re a bad man.” –After his walk-off home run in Game 2 against the Angels to clinch the 2007 ALDS	“I’m happy to be here. Whatever happened in Boston, that’s the past. I’m just thinking blue right now and just here to have fun and enjoy the game.”	Push. Choosing a best Manny quote is like choosing your favorite child.
Signature moment	After going 0-for-4 in his MLB debut, Ramirez made the most of his second chance. Playing in his hometown New York, Ramirez went 3-for-4 with a double, two home runs and three RBIs in a 7-3 Indians win on Sept. 3, 1993. Right off the bat, Manny showed that he’d be able to perform in pressure situations.	Manny went into the Green Monster to take a bathroom break during a coach’s visit to the mound and narrowly returned in time for the next pitch in July 2005.	Originally out of the lineup due to injury, Manny hit a pinch-hit grand slam on his bobblehead doll night on July 22, 2009.	Boston. Nothing can top his performance in the 2004 postseason. But his leadership in the 2007 run comes close..