I'm getting old. I know that all too well after waking up from a bender. But even though it takes me hours to feel somewhat normal again, I keep punishing my mind and body. So I know all about recovery time in a way. Now I'm no real athlete (the closest I've come is semi-professional Beer Pong player) so I can't imagine how Aramis Ramirez, at age 35, feels the day after a baseball game. I know he's in better shape than I am, not only because he's an athlete, but also because most people in their 80's are in better shape than I am. But even though he works out, eats healthy, takes vitamins, has a personal trainer and doesn't really have too much to worry about (except for 1st World Problems), I'm sure that his body feels rough after a day of weight training and a 3+ hour baseball game. I wouldn't know what his body feels like. He won't let me touch him. Besides, I hate guys... I LOVE WOMEN!! Just keep telling yourself that pal. All I'm saying is that I'm getting up there in age and I feel like shit on a daily basis, so I can't even imagine what Ramirez goes through on a daily basis.
No wonder he missed so much time last year. I didn't even play one game and I feel like I'm dying. Ramirez only played in 92 games last year. In order for the Brewers to have success in 2014 he needs to play around 150. Health is the biggest concern with the Milwaukee Brewers this season, and Ramirez is hoping to put 2013 behind him. When he's in the lineup he's still a formidable offensive force and provides some much needed protection for Ryan Braun. I don't know why that goes overlooked. Don't get me wrong, Brauny is a great baseball player, but how much better is he because of the guy batting behind him? He had Prince Fielder for like 5 years and Ramirez for the last 2. How much credit for Braun's success do you give to the cleanup hitter? He has to count for something, right? All I'm saying is that Ramirez is still a force to be reckoned with. It takes a certain makeup or moxy to bat 4th in the lineup. That was never as evident as what we saw during 2013. I don't think we even realize how special of a player Prince Fielder was and how amazing it was that he never missed a game. In 2012 Ramirez was able to fill those shoes quite nicely, but look how much the offensive production dipped in 2013 while he was hurt. Many tried to be the cleanup hitter in his absence and failed. Guys like Jonathan Lucroy, Carlos Gomez and Khris Davis are all good hitters, but they struggled when they had the pressure on them to drive in runs. You won't find too many players who consistently drive in around 100 RBIs per year. If healthy, he's your 2nd best offensive player (behind Braun), which is saying a lot on a team that also has Carlos Gomez, Jonathan Lucroy and Jean Segura. He's that important to this team and we need him to stay healthy if we are going to have a good year.
I'm tired of writing about these players (the whole point of doing videos was so that I didn't have to write so much) but I did briefly have to talk about Ramirez's defense. Now he's no gold glover over there and he's certainly lost some range, but he's a pretty decent defender. Most people were saying things like he was going to be brutal at the hot corner. He's not brutal. I've seen brutal (do Juan Francisco, Alex Gonzalez and Yuni B come to mind?) and Ramirez is a lot better than most people give him credit for. If healthy he's going to man the hot corner for at least 1 more season, as he will be a free agent at the end of the season. It is the final year of his 3-year contract and we all know how last year turned out. So he needs to go out and have a good season so that this free agent signing was a good one. Hey - 2 out of 3 ain't bad, right?
No wonder he missed so much time last year. I didn't even play one game and I feel like I'm dying. Ramirez only played in 92 games last year. In order for the Brewers to have success in 2014 he needs to play around 150. Health is the biggest concern with the Milwaukee Brewers this season, and Ramirez is hoping to put 2013 behind him. When he's in the lineup he's still a formidable offensive force and provides some much needed protection for Ryan Braun. I don't know why that goes overlooked. Don't get me wrong, Brauny is a great baseball player, but how much better is he because of the guy batting behind him? He had Prince Fielder for like 5 years and Ramirez for the last 2. How much credit for Braun's success do you give to the cleanup hitter? He has to count for something, right? All I'm saying is that Ramirez is still a force to be reckoned with. It takes a certain makeup or moxy to bat 4th in the lineup. That was never as evident as what we saw during 2013. I don't think we even realize how special of a player Prince Fielder was and how amazing it was that he never missed a game. In 2012 Ramirez was able to fill those shoes quite nicely, but look how much the offensive production dipped in 2013 while he was hurt. Many tried to be the cleanup hitter in his absence and failed. Guys like Jonathan Lucroy, Carlos Gomez and Khris Davis are all good hitters, but they struggled when they had the pressure on them to drive in runs. You won't find too many players who consistently drive in around 100 RBIs per year. If healthy, he's your 2nd best offensive player (behind Braun), which is saying a lot on a team that also has Carlos Gomez, Jonathan Lucroy and Jean Segura. He's that important to this team and we need him to stay healthy if we are going to have a good year.
I'm tired of writing about these players (the whole point of doing videos was so that I didn't have to write so much) but I did briefly have to talk about Ramirez's defense. Now he's no gold glover over there and he's certainly lost some range, but he's a pretty decent defender. Most people were saying things like he was going to be brutal at the hot corner. He's not brutal. I've seen brutal (do Juan Francisco, Alex Gonzalez and Yuni B come to mind?) and Ramirez is a lot better than most people give him credit for. If healthy he's going to man the hot corner for at least 1 more season, as he will be a free agent at the end of the season. It is the final year of his 3-year contract and we all know how last year turned out. So he needs to go out and have a good season so that this free agent signing was a good one. Hey - 2 out of 3 ain't bad, right?
Check out my 5th video, which covers 3rd Base for the 2014 Milwaukee Brewers, recorded at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, AZ the day after the Spring Training Game between the Oakland Athletics and the San Francisco Giants:
Scottsdale Stadium (Spring Training home of the San Francisco Giants) is only 3 blocks away from the Apartment Complex where my Aunt Linda lives. That was the biggest reason why I went to the Giants/A's game on Saturday March 15. How can you pass up the opportunity to drink heavily and go to a baseball game without having to worry about driving? I almost always have to drive to games, so I can't drink without weighing the repercussions of my actions. But had I known in advance that they were charging $30 for standing room only tickets, I might have picked a different game to go to. Look, I know the Giants have won the World Series twice in the last 4 years (2010 and 2012) but $30? Fuck that. Fool me once, shame on you. I will not go back there if tickets are that much. With my season tickets at Miller Park, I pay around $13 a game, which makes the Milwaukee Brewers still one of the best deals in all of sports. But even with the expensive tickets they still packed over 12,000 people in this joint, for a Split Squad game no less! Talk about a ripoff. But $30 baseball was still better than no baseball at all.
Aramis Ramirez #16 - .292 batting avg, .365 OBP, 24 HRs, 97 RBIs and a chance to prove that he's only as old as he feels. And I know he's married and has kids, so he won't be feeling up any young hot totties. So Rami - how about throwing some of them my way? Spread the wealth pal.
If healthy, there's no reason to believe that Ramirez can't put up another good offensive year. His career numbers say that when he puts together a whole season (150 games, 500-some at bats), things tend to add up pretty well. The Brewers need him to stay healthy and stay in the lineup. The pitching staff is hopefully better than last year (at least the Starting Pitchers) but the Offense needs to be consistent to take the load off of their shoulders. Let's face it - when all is said and done the pitching staff as a whole will probably be average. I expect them to be 8th-10th among the National League teams. That doesn't make you a playoff team. But if you have a Top 3 Offense (which the Brewers are certainly capable of being this year) that elevates you into contention for a playoff spot. In order for the Brewers to have a Top 3 Offense, they need Aramis Ramirez to do what he does best. And that's hit and drive in runs. He's lost some home run power in the last few years but he's still a doubles machine. With the projected lineup of Gomez, Segura and Braun betting in front of him, he's going to have plenty of opportunities to drive in some runs. Will he take advantage of those opportunities? I'd say without a doubt. But then again I'm a big fan of him these days. I've really warmed up to Aramis Ramirez. That's more than I can say about most former Cubs players. You don't really need to hear what I say about most former Cubs players, and neither does Jesus.
- pookon -
www.pookon.com
https://twitter.com/pookondotcom
https://www.facebook.com/MilwaukeeIceman
No comments:
Post a Comment