Aramis Ramírez

Infobox MLB player
name = Aramis Ramírez


width = 250
caption =
team = Chicago Cubs
number = 16
position = Third baseman
birthdate = birth date and age|1978|6|25
birthplace = Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
bats = Right
throws = Right
debutdate = May 26
debutyear = 1998
debutteam = Pittsburgh Pirates
statyear = September 30, 2008
stat1label = Batting average
stat1value = .284
stat2label = Home runs
stat2value = 249
stat3label = Runs batted in
stat3value = 881
teams =
*Pittsburgh Pirates (by|1998-by|2003)
*Chicago Cubs (by|2003-present)
awards =
* 2x All-Star selection (2005, 2008)

Aramis Nin Ramírez (pronEng|ʌrˈɑːmɪs or IPA|/ərˈɑːmɪs/, born June 25, 1978 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is an all-star Major League Baseball third baseman for the Chicago Cubs. Ramírez has also played for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1998-2003) [http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/ramirar01.shtml Aramis Bio Page] , Baseball-Reference.com, Retrieved on August 17, 2007] . On November 12, by|2006, Ramírez signed a five-year deal with the Cubs with an option for 2012.

Ramírez is the cousin of fellow major league player Manny Ramirez.

MLB career

Early years with Pirates

Ramirez was signed at age 16 year old as a free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates on November 7, 1994. On May 26, 1998, he made his major league debut with the Pirates at the age of 19, and was the youngest player in baseball at the time.

Ramirez struggled in his first three seasons while showing great potential, and split his time between the Pirates and Triple A Nashville. In 2001, Ramirez hit 34 home runs and had 112 RBIs to go along with a .300 batting average and stayed with the major league team the entire season. That year, however, he came second to last in errors with 25 and was last in fielding percentage at .945, lowest among all third basemen. He also had the lowest zone rating in the National League .745. His performance dipped in 2002, as he batted .234 with just 18 home runs. On April 17 of that season, he was ejected from a game in Milwaukee after charging the mound and throwing his batting helmet at Ben Sheets. This earned him a suspension from April 23 - April 30.

2003 - Trade to Cubs

Ramírez was traded to the Chicago Cubs along with outfielder Kenny Lofton on July 23, by|2003. Ramírez finished the 2003 season strong in Chicago, though he led the majors with 33 errors at third base—50% more than the next most error-prone third baseman, Eric Hinske. He also had the lowest fielding percentage of all Major League third basemen (.929). The Cubs made the playoffs and defeated the favored Atlanta Braves, before being beaten by the eventual World Series champion Florida Marlins in a seven-game NLCS. In the series against the Marlins, Ramírez hit three home runs and had seven RBIs in 26 at-batsAramis Ramírez Bio, 2005 Chicago Cubs Information Guide, page 137.] .

2004 season

Ramírez played extremely well during the by|2004 season and led the Cubs in hitting and RBI for most of the season despite nursing a sore hamstring. Cubs former manager Dusty Baker considered Ramírez one of the key ingredients in the Cubs' failed drive for the playoffs. That was strong praise on a team that includes stars the likes of Derrek Lee, Nomar Garciaparra, Sammy Sosa, Moisés Alou, Kerry Wood, Mark Prior, Greg Maddux, and Carlos Zambrano.

On September 16, 2004, Ramírez became the 14th player in Major League history to have two different games with three home runs in a season [ [http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/gamelog?statsId=6014&year=2004 Ramírez hits 3 homers] on July 30, 2004 and again on September 16, 2004.] when he hit three homers against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. His other three-home run game came against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 30 at Wrigley Field. On defense, however, his range factor of 2.26 was the lowest among all Major League third basemen [http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/R/Aramis-Ramirez.shtml Aramis Bio on BB Cube] , BaseballCube.com, Retrieved on August 17, 2007] .

2005 season

In 2005 he was picked for his first Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Ramirez finished the 2005 season on the disabled list with straining his Quadriceps femoris muscle quadriceps on August 24 but still finished the season with 31 home runs and 92 RBIs.

2006 season

In by|2006, Ramírez hit 38 home runs while driving in 119 runs. He collected his 1000th hit on July 15 versus the New York MetsAramis Ramírez Bio, Chicago Cubs 2007 Information Guide, page 141.] . On defense, however, his range factor of 2.41 was the lowest among Major League third basemen for the third straight year. After the season, he was listed as being potentially the biggest free agent in the market with the obvious exception of Alfonso Soriano. In addition to the Cubs, the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and Los Angeles Dodgers appeared most interested in his services. However, Ramírez elected to stay with the Cubs, agreeing to a reported 5 year, $73 million contract on November 12, 2006.

2007 season

Aramis hit his 200th career home run off Claudio Vargas on April 23, by|2007. On June 29, 2007, Ramírez ended a crucial game against the Milwaukee Brewers with a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the 9th to cap a five-run comeback win for the Chicago Cubs. This game has been widely viewed as a turning point in the season. Even though the Cubs were still 6.5 games out of first place at the time, it extended their win streak to a season-high seven games.

The Cubs would go on to win the 2007 National League Central division, thanks in large part to Ramírez, whose 101 RBIs led the team. He also finished second on the Cubs in home runs (26) and batting average (.310). The divisional title came only after battling it out with Milwaukee for the final month of September. Ramírez was one of the main reasons of the Cubs' resurgence in September, batting .287 with 8 home runs and 21 RBI that month. He played crucial roles in Cubs' victories against the St. Louis Cardinals on September 10 with 2 home runs and 12 total bases and against the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 21 with 2 home runs and 6 RBI. Unfortunately, however, Ramírez failed to contribute to the Cubs' offense in post-season play, going 0 for 12 with 5 strikeouts while leaving 11 on base. In addition to his offensive contributions, Ramírez made great strides to improve his defensive game in 2007, as he lowered his error total and improved his range factor for the third consecutive year.

2008 season

On June 20 against the Chicago White Sox, Aramis hit his 2nd home run of the day for a walk off in the bottom of the 9th inning for the first game of the 2008 Crosstown Classic. He went on to homer in each of the next two games in the series.

On July 7, Ramirez was selected to play in the 2008 MLB All-Star Game as a reserve along with teammates: OF Alfonso Soriano, OF Kosuke Fukudome, C Geovany Soto, P Ryan Dempster, P Kerry Wood, P Carlos Zambrano, and P Carlos Marmol.

On August 28, Ramirez hit a grand slam against the Philadelphia Phillies in the bottom of the 8th, making it his 8th career grand slam. The Cubs would win the game 6 to 4.

Third base legacy with Cubs

Between 1960 and 1973, the Cubs relied on All-Star Ron Santo as the everyday third baseman. In the following thirty years, 97 different players started at third for the Cubs, including 18 different starters on Opening DayMayer, Larry, "A case for the defense", Chicago Vineline, Vol. 22, No. 8] . Ramírez has started the last four seasons at third, and with the long-term contract appears to have ended the stretch of ambiguity at the position.

tatistics

ee also

*List of top 500 Major League Baseball home run hitters
*List of players from Dominican Republic in MLB
* Major League Baseball hitters with three home runs in one game

References

External links