Hanley Ramirez: possible triple crown in 2011?

by bwalsh18 on Feb 7, 2011 8:22 AM EST

Hanley Ramirez is the best player on this Marlins roster, and arguably the best player in the game. Do you think he is a possible triple crown threat? I think he would have to work on his power to win the HR race, but he could easily win batting average and RBI.

Last season Hanley ranked 36th in home runs (20), 38th in RBI (76) and tied for 10th in Batting Average (.300)

Now, I know HR and RBI will be impacted by teammates as others will have to get on base for Hanley to knock them in. If the other players in the lineup (Stanton, Morrison, Sanchez, etc) can protect Ramirez in the lineup, his HR numbers could improve along with RBI.

To win the batting triple crown is a crazy feat to accomplish, as nobody has done it since Yaz did it way back in 1967.

So, Marlins nation, what are your thoughts on Hanley's chances at a triple crown?

Poll

Who has the best chance at winning the triple crown in the National League?

Hanley Ramirez (FLA)

5 votes

Joey Votto (CIN)

6 votes

Albert Pujols (STL)

27 votes

Carlos Gonzalez (COL)

3 votes

Bryce Harper (WSH)

0 votes

Jason Heyward (ATL)

2 votes

Other (state who you think below!)

0 votes

43 votes | Poll has closed

Tweet Comment 9 comments | 0 recs |

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Comments

He's got little to no shot to do it

The fact is, the most powerful hitters in the NL are either first-basemen or outfielders. The front-runner, as always, has to be Albert Pujols. This is even more evident this year, when he’s motivated to up his value as much as possible in order to get the best value when he inevitably ends up as a free agent.

Chris Coghlan is the 2009 NLRoY (that's a +1 for me!)
Josh Johnson should (but won't) win the 2010 NL Cy Young!

by ocelotfox on Feb 7, 2011 9:14 AM EST reply actions

Pujols is definitely the front runner. Watch out for Joey Votto too. I do think that if Hanley could increase his power he would be neck and neck with Pujols.

follow me on Twitter, @bwalsh18

by bwalsh18 on Feb 7, 2011 10:17 AM EST up reply actions

The thing is, Hanley is much like David Wright in terms of power

He’ll be somewhere between 20-35 homers every year, regardless of whether or not he tries to bulk up. He needs to remain a certain weight in order to keep his range as a SS. I’d rather have him be a better defender than a more powerful hitter.

The Marlin that could make a run for the home run crown is Mike Stanton. Hanley could easily run for the batting title (he won it in 2009), and maybe (although I see it as the most meaningless statistic outside of pitcher wins) the RBI crown.

Chris Coghlan is the 2009 NLRoY (that's a +1 for me!)
Josh Johnson should (but won't) win the 2010 NL Cy Young!

by ocelotfox on Feb 7, 2011 12:05 PM EST up reply actions

Good point. I would also rather Hanley keep his range at SS.

On an unrelated note, what’s the status of prospect 3B Matt Dominguez? Any chance he will get some big league playing time this season?

follow me on Twitter, @bwalsh18

by bwalsh18 on Feb 7, 2011 3:12 PM EST up reply actions

I'm no prospect watcher (I only pay a cursory glance during the early part of the season)

But from what I’ve gathered, he’s more than ready defensively, but his offense is still mediocre at best, terrible at worst. Unless the platoon at third holds strong, or Greg Dobbs comes out of nowhere, I’d say he’s a late May, early June call-up, and may start immediately thereafter.

Chris Coghlan is the 2009 NLRoY (that's a +1 for me!)
Josh Johnson should (but won't) win the 2010 NL Cy Young!

by ocelotfox on Feb 7, 2011 6:21 PM EST up reply actions

Awesome, should be fun to see.

follow me on Twitter, @bwalsh18

by bwalsh18 on Feb 8, 2011 7:30 AM EST up reply actions

I'm calling Cargo

… though Pujols has a good shot, if he doesn’t get a contract signed, that’s a lot of pressure.

Go Nevada Wolf Pack!

by BacksThePack on Feb 7, 2011 11:08 AM EST reply actions

HR has nothing do with your teammates

Protection is a myth, don’t believe it. RBI on the other hand is HEAVILY team dependent.

I’d say Pujols. The answer to any superlative in baseball is Albert Pujols.

Marlin Maniac, a Florida Marlins blog
Writer, Beyond the Box Score
Writer, Heater Magazine

by SFiercex4 on Feb 8, 2011 8:30 AM EST reply actions

Probably not

It’s not so much that he doesn’t have the power to hit 50 HRs (which maybe he can), it’s that the team doesn’t need him to do that. The team just needs him to replicate his numbers from previous years and not swing for 50 HRs… which would likely hurt his average if he did do it. And as for RBIs, he would a.) need to have a more guys get on base before him more often and b.) never lead off again.

Hanley at .300/20ish/80ish with 30ish SBs is perfect for the team. Let’s see Stanton, Morrison and Gaby grow up a little more and think in those terms. Then we’ll see an uptick in Hanley’s numbers and most importantly more wins for the team. I’m more or less new to commenting here, so I doubt this carries weight, but I’m really optimistic about this team for the first time since 2005.

And as for who could do the triple crown? Pujols, without a doubt.

by Potlucksports on Feb 8, 2011 4:10 PM EST reply actions