The Official Site of Hanley Ramirez

Thu, Feb 26th 2009, 11:27

Hanley batting third adds new wrinkle

Prestige and power are associated with hitting third in the lineup.

Hanley Ramirez welcomes the opportunity to fill that role.

Asked why he seemed so excited to move to the middle of the lineup after being a feared leadoff batter, Ramirez joked: “That means I’m dangerous.”

The Marlins’ 25-year-old shortstop wasted little time showcasing his immense power. In his third at-bat of Grapefruit League play on Wednesday against the Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium, he slammed a two-run homer.

There are a number of reasons why the lineup adds a new dynamic with Ramirez batting third. Foremost, it gives the order tremendous speed at the leadoff and third spots. Cameron Maybin now takes over batting first, and the 21-year-old brings a similar style player to what Ramirez was when he hit first.

John Baker, a patient-hitting lefty bat, is second. Baker said he expects to see more fastballs since he is in front of Ramirez. Basically, teams don’t want to walk Baker to give Ramirez an at-bat with a runner on base.

Baker did walk before Ramirez’s two-run homer.

“That’s what hitting in front of Hanley is going to be like,” Baker said. “The guy might hit 40 home runs and knock in 125. Hopefully, I can get on base and practice my home run trot.”

Entering his fourth season, Ramirez is ready to reveal more of the power in his game. He is admittedly bigger than a year ago, packing more muscle on his already athletic frame. Last week, Ramirez said he weighed 224 pounds.

All the good hitters, they’re hitting third, fourth or fifth,” Ramirez said. “I want to be around those guys.”

The Marlins share Roger Dean Stadium with the Cardinals, who feature one of the game’s most feared hitters in Albert Pujols.

Like Ramirez, Pujols is slotted third.

“I was watching him,” Ramirez said of Pujols. “He’s always patient and waiting for that mistake from the pitchers. That’s what I was looking for.”

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