Ramirez, OPS+ by year:
116 (age 22, first full year in the league)
145, 143, 148 (next 3 years)
126 (Man, would I love THAT to be my down year - some flies found gloves instead of clearing the wall or leather)
95 (injured, only played half the year, BABIP only .275, about 60 points below his career norms)
105 (involved in trade rumors, position change rants and internal war with management, traded mid-season)
189 (only half a year again, but WHAT a half-season!)
132 (his version of a "down" year when playing and comfortable, some injury nicks)
Dude's BABIP is .333 career, to go with his 132 OPS+ / wRC+. Everything he hits falls in, like Gar or Manny (who also had career .330+ BABIP figures). The question is whether you can keep him healthy and for how long, because he's got premier hitting talent. Mike Sweeney playing shortstop? It might be like a hippo in a tutu, but it's working.
And he's a better hitter than Sweeney was. We'd need him to stay much healthier than Sweeney though (or Scott Rolen, another guy whose injuries reduced him to a much more average player after he hit his 30s). Again - Hanley is a better hitter than either of those guys. He's a better hitter than anybody in our minors, for as long as he stays in his prime.
The DH couldn't save Sweeney, but might have extended Rolen's prime. I'm willing to take the risk with Hanley - as long as he's not dead-set on playing all his games at SS and injuring himself in the field like Griffey playing a glove position with a brittle body after 30.
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