Vital Statistics:
Born: May 30, 1972
Hometown: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Height: 6-0
Weight: 200
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Family: Wife, Juliana; sons Manny, Manny Jr. and Lucas
Primary position: Designated hitter
Before The Bigs:
- Attended George Washington High School in New York.
- Drafted 13th overall by the Cleveland Indians in 1991.
- Hit 19 home runs and had 63 RBIs in just 59 games at Single-A Burlington in 1991.
- Started the 1993 season at Double-A Canton-Akron and hit .340 with 17 home runs in 89 games. After 14 home runs in 40 games at Triple-A Charlotte, he spent September with the Indians as a designated hitter and hit two home runs in Yankee Stadium against his hometown Yankees on Sept. 3, 1993 in his second major-league game.
Career Highlights:
- Finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting in 1994, when he hit 17 HR.
- Named an All-Star for the first time in 1995, when he helped lead the Indians to the AL pennant, hitting the first three of his 20 postseason home runs.
- Hit .333 with 44 home runs and 165 RBIs in 1998, the most in the American League since 1938.
- Signed with the Boston Red Sox as a free agent in 2001, and led the AL in home runs with 48.
- Won the AL batting title in 2002, hitting a career-high .349.
- Was named MVP in his third World Series, hitting .412 in 2004 against St. Louis and leading Boston to its first title since 1918.
- In 2007, Ramirez hit his 23rd postseason home run, passing Bernie Williams for the most all-time. Batted .348 with 4 HR and 16 RBI in the postseason as the Red Sox won the World Series.
- After sulking about his contract and some bizarre behavior on and off the field, Ramirez was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 31, 2008 in a three-way deal that brought Jason Bay to the Red Sox.
