Hanley Ramirez is happy in his current position with the Boston Red Sox.
MassLive.com asked Ramirez after Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park whether he’d prefer to shift to first base or third base if the Red Sox move him out of left field, either this season or next. It’s a reasonable question given first baseman Mike Napoli’s impending free agency and Ramirez’s defensive struggles in his first season transitioning from the infield to the outfield.
“Left field,” Ramirez reportedly replied.
This isn’t the first time Ramirez expressed a desire to remain in the outfield — “hell no,” the 31-year-old told WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford back in June when asked about a potential switch to the infield this season — but speculation is growing that Boston could consider moving him to first base (with third baseman Pablo Sandoval staying put) or to third base (with Sandoval shifting across the diamond).
Such a move isn’t a slam dunk. Ramirez, who spent most of his career as a shortstop before signing with the Red Sox in November, never has played first base and has appeared in just 99 games at third base. But it’s a worthwhile consideration because it would fill an obvious need while likely improving Boston’s outfield defense.
The question is whether Ramirez would go with it.
“Because what I was trying to do (in previous seasons) was just stay on the field,” Ramirez told MassLive.com of why he wants to stay in left field. “I was having problems with that. I was getting hurt a lot. And I think playing in the outfield, that gives me a better chance to just stay on the field.”
Ramirez insisted he doesn’t hate playing defense, according to MassLive.com, though he admitted he loves hitting. The latter, of course, is the hallmark of Ramirez’s game. The Red Sox could live with adequate defense — it’s been worse than adequate this season — as long as he produces offensively.
Ramirez understands this, which is why he’s so focused on putting himself into a position to stay healthy throughout the course of a 162-game season.
“You play hard, but at the same time you try to be smart,” Ramirez told MassLive.com. “You’ve got to be smart. My teammates, everybody knows, they keep telling me how important it is for me to be in the lineup every day. That’s what I’m trying to do. At the same time, I go out there, chase after the balls.
“When I see myself getting close to the wall, I say, ‘Hanley don’t do it.’ So that’s the thing that I always keep in the back of my head.”
Ramirez wouldn’t have to worry about many walls if he shifted to the infield. He would, however, need to accept other, new responsibilities if he played first base or third base.
And right now, Ramirez sounds focused on his current job rather than learning a new one.
Thumbnail photo via Nick Turchiaro/USA TODAY Sports Images
