The Official Site of Hanley Ramirez

Sat, Aug 29th 2009, 10:15

Hanley Ramirez's hard work has batting title in sight

Keith Hernandez did little pinch hitting during his illustrious career. Still, that didn’t stop the Mets broadcaster from pinching a hitter two hours before Thursday’s game.

“Hey, batting champ,” Hernandez said. “You got it.”

The unsuspecting Hanley Ramirez, who had been facing his locker, felt the tug at his shirt and turned his head. “Not yet,” Ramirez said.

“If I don’t see you before it happens, congratulations,” Hernandez said.

Most South Florida sports fans haven’t seen it while it’s been happening, proven again by the anemic turnout for Thursday afternoon’s 10-3 Marlins Get your Marlins Tickets now! loss. That’s OK. That apathy hardly diminishes what Ramirez is accomplishing in his fourth season. He’s crushing all competition in the batting race, entering Thursday’s play 34 percentage points (.365 to .331) ahead of San Francisco’s Pablo Sandoval.

He’s crushing Marlins history, safely outdistancing Miguel Cabrera’s .339 in 2006, Luis Castillo’s .334 in 2000 and his .332 in 2007.

Barring voter prejudice against his low-profile team, Ramirez will finish in the top three in MVP voting. Ramirez’s season is every bit as remarkable as that of the Dolphins’ Chad Pennington and the Heat’s Dwyane Wade, who finished second and third in their respective MVP votes.

He’s the primary reason that suspect starting pitching beyond ace Josh Johnson hasn’t already sunk the Marlins. Ramirez hits day (.378) or night (.361), home (.350) or away (.384), against lefties (.313) or against righties (.386). He hits with nobody on (.359) or runners aboard (.373). Most ridiculous? He hits .457 with runners in scoring position and two out, when a lazy fly ball counts against him, not as a run-scoring sacrifice fly. That’s the most pressurized situation in the sport. That’s money time. That’s the equivalent of Wade sinking virtually every game-winning shot, or Pennington tossing touchdowns on virtually every red zone trip.

So how’s he doing it? By studying tape and pitchers, like batting champions past?

“I don’t watch tape,” Ramirez said.

So how?

“Working, working,” he said. “I’ve got my same routine every day. The same. I just try to be consistent and [have] good preparation before the game every day.”

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