The Official Site of Hanley Ramirez

Wed, May 28th 2008, 10:29

Hanley working to imrprove his defense

Ask Hanley Ramirez if he can win the Gold Glove this season, and the Marlins’ gifted shortstop looks at you in disbelief and shakes his head no.

Then ask, “What about next year?”

Ramirez smiles approvingly.

Defense remains a work in progress for the 24-year-old, who is striving to be an all-around player. Considering the force he is at the plate, it is easy to overlook defense.

In Florida’s 7-3 win over the Mets on Monday at Shea Stadium, Ramirez was a difference maker in the field. He made a handful of terrific plays, including handling all three ground balls in the ninth inning to close out the game.

Through 49 games, Ramirez’s fielding percentage was .964, with eight errors in 220 total chances. He has been improving of late after a stretch of some misplays.

Right now, Ramirez has slumped by his standards at the plate: .300 batting average with nine homers and 23 RBIs entering Tuesday.

“I know he had a rough stretch there for a couple of weeks,” infield coach Andy Fox said. “That’s going to happen. But it’s even better now, because he’s not swinging it the way he wants. For him to defend is huge for us.”

One change Ramirez has made in the field is remaining aggressive.

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