Boston isn’t punting on Hanley Ramirez quite yet. In fact, the Red Sox intend to change Ramirez’s position in 2016 (after changing it from shortstop to left field in 2015), and will shift him to first base.
Hanley IS moving to first base by next year, he said. Maybe some this year. He's on board. "I'm looking forward to it."
— Michael Silverman (@MikeSilvermanBB) August 25, 2015
Mike Napoli held down the position for the Red Sox since signing with the team as a free agent prior to the 2013 season, but he was traded to the Rangers this month, weeks before he was scheduled to hit free agency. 25-year old rookie Travis Shaw has taken over since the trade, and has hit .315/.361/.573 with six homers in 29 games this year.
Success hasn’t been that easy for Ramirez to come by this year. After signing a four-year, $88 million contract this winter, he’s been a disaster. In 104 games, Hanley has hit .252/.293/.431 with 19 homers, though none of those have come in the second half.
However, his defense in left has been an abomination. Never a good defender at short, Ramirez has accrued -19 DRS and -16.7 DRS this year, both of which are the worst for any *fielder* (not outfielder, but any fielder) in baseball.
Will he be better at first? It’s almost impossible for him not to be. But he’ll be 32 on Opening Day, and learning another new position could be a rough experience.
