Hanley Ramirez looks like he’s swinging for the fences at all times. Perhaps that’s the problem.
Ramirez’s season has consisted of peaks and valleys — not defensively; that’s been all valleys — and the Boston Red Sox are trying to work with the slugger to address his recent offensive issues.
“I think there’s been times when the swing has gotten big,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said before Thursday’s game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. “This is something that a number of us have spoken to Hanley about, to try to get some sense of the approach at the plate. He’s typically been such a good line drive hitter (with) a high number of doubles, almost 2-to-1 doubles to home runs.”
Ramirez entered Thursday hitting .260 with 19 home runs, 51 RBIs and a .746 OPS. Such an OPS would be the second-lowest mark of his career — he posted a .712 OPS over 92 games in an injury plagued 2011 campaign — and his .301 on-base percentage would be by far his lowest.
He’s hitting just .207 with four homers, 13 RBIs, a .593 OPS and 26 strikeouts to four walks in 116 plate appearances over 28 games since the beginning of July.
“I hate to say this, but I think with Hanley, if I had a wish list with him, it would be that he doesn’t think that much about power,” Red Sox hitting coach Chili Davis told the Boston Herald’s Jason Mastrodonato this week in the Bronx. “Because it’s there. He doesn’t need to create power. He’s got exceptional power. But he needs to be more consistent with contact. Not saying to be passive with his swing, but being more in control of his hands, his swing, his head — everything.”
It would be futile to expect — or even ask — Ramirez to become a contact hitter overnight. He’s a power hitter at this stage of his career, and the Red Sox are paying him big bucks to drive in runs.
The organization knows there are going to be strikeouts and occasional outages. It’s all about minimizing such struggles and reaching a point where Ramirez’s approach and mindset are steady.
“More consistent, good contact, especially in RBI situations,” Davis told Mastrodonato. “I would like to see him focus more on driving in a run or two a day and doing it in the simplest way and allowing that power to show up. And it will, because he’s that talented.”
Ramirez started the season with a bang, hitting 10 homers and driving in 22 runs in April. His OPS sat at .999 when the calendar flipped to May. The 31-year-old had a strong June, too, before missing six games with a wrist injury. The potential for big production is there. It’s a matter of putting everything together.
Not every swing needs to be with the intention of going yard.
Thumbnail photo via Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports Images
