Hanley Ramirez sure looks the part.
Ramirez showed up to spring training in great shape, featuring muscles that amazed his Red Sox teammates. David Ortiz is expecting big things from Ramirez in his first season back with Boston.
“That kid, man, he wants to get things done,” Ortiz recently told MLB.com in Fort Myers, Fla. “He’s going to have a hell of a year and just try his best to give people what they expect from him. He’s a beast.”
Ramirez has bulked up in recent seasons, during which his game has evolved. He now looks like a pure slugger rather than someone capable of swiping bags, and the Red Sox’s hope is he’ll provide plenty of pop in the middle of the order.
“Well, he’s a force, there’s no doubt,” Red Sox manager John Farrell told MLB.com. “It’s been fun to watch because you sit across the field just a few times a year and you see what he can show you in a three-game series, but he’s obviously dangerous. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anybody hit a ball harder than him consistently.”
Ramirez, a former Red Sox farmhand who idolized Ortiz while coming up through the system, is entering his 11th major league season. The 31-year-old looks primed for big numbers in his first year as an outfielder, but the campaign won’t be a success unless the veteran obtains that elusive ring.
“Well, I know I’m that kind of guy, but I want to win and can help them win some more championships,” Ramirez said of posting impressive totals. “That’s what I want to be — the guy who can help the team to win championships.”
A beast? Absolutely. And he could soon fall in love with a (Green) Monster.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@RedSox
