During the WGN telecast of my hometown Cubs’ game against the Rockies Sunday, color commentator Jim Deshaies made a bold prediction concerning the NL West.
“I think the Dodgers are going to win that division by 10 games,” he said. “They’re going to run away and hide from everyone else.”
This scenario seemed about as likely as the Cubs hoisting the 2013 Commissioner’s Trophy less than two months ago, but now it doesn’t seem so far-fetched.
LA has gone 25-15 since June 4, good enough not only to ascend from their spot in the NL West cellar, but also to move all the way up to second place in an eminently winnable division. The boys in blue now sit just one-half game behind the division-leading Diamondbacks.
What’s significant about June 4? That was the day that Hanley Ramirez’s name appeared on the Dodgers lineup card for the first time in 2013. In the six weeks since, all the three-time all-star has done is rake to the tune of a .393/.445/.721 slash line in addition to blasting ten round-trippers and driving in 31 runs.
Ramirez’s play has flown relatively under the radar while a certain rookie has been the one to steal Sportscenter headlines from LeBron. Make no mistake, however, the shortstop has been just as much of a factor in the Dodgers’ run as Puigmania — probably more so.
While Puig has slumped slightly over the last couple of weeks, Ramirez has gone right on hitting, including six hits in first 13 at-bats since the All-Star break. Quite simply, the former Marlins’ star is the best-hitting shortstop in baseball right now and should be an MVP candidate.
In 2009, Ramirez was one of the top producers in all of fantasy baseball after hitting .342, swatting 24 home runs and stealing 27 bases. The shortstop didn’t come close to matching those numbers in any of the following three seasons, so fantasy players everywhere are wondering whether this incredible hot streak should be viewed as a return to form or a temporary deviation from the “new normal” of the 2010-12 seasons.
My two cents — Ramirez’s current hot streak has been helped along by some good luck on balls in play; his BABIP is .396 in 2013 and that pace is unlikely to continue for the duration of the year. However, Ramirez’s career BABIP of .334 is much higher than league average (usually around .300) due to the large number of infield hits he generates from his speed. Therefore, when he eventually does “regress to the mean,” his average won’t drop very far. Batting .350 overall in 2013 is certainly attainable for him.
In terms of power, the shortstop’s HR/FB ratio of .209 is much higher than his career average of .137, so, while he is on pace for 24 home runs in only two-thirds of a season this year, it is unlikely he will reach that number.
However, Ramirez has been good for at least 20 home runs in every full season of his career except his rookie season of 2006 (he only played 92 games in 2011 due to injury), and definitely still has 25-homer power. I would pencil him in for about 20 this season barring injury or a devastating slump.
The bottom-line on Ramirez is that he is a very valuable player in the middle of a hot-streak. If you are in a keeper league and can convince someone to trade you a Joey Votto-level player based on this hot streak, make the swap. Otherwise, keep him and enjoy an All-Star who hits .300 with 25 home runs in most seasons.
Either way, the Dodgers again look like a team capable of making Jim Deshaies a prophet and Ramirez is a big reason why. Let Hanleymania continue.
Dylan Sinn is a freelance contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSinn or subscribe at Facebook.com/CraveOnlineSports.
Photo Credit: Getty
