Boston Red Sox veteran Hanley Ramirez had a lackluster season in 2017, hitting only 23 homers and averaging .242.
However, after having medical treatment on both of his shoulders this offseason at 34-years-old, Ramirez is confident that this year will be one of his best.
“We can be a world champ in 2018, that’s the goal. We’ve just got to stay healthy and fight together,”Ramirez said during Winter Weekend. “I think we have one of the best teams in the big leagues by name. We’ve got to do the work on the field. You see the Astros. They do the work on the field. They do have a couple of big names [also], but they know how to get the job done on the field. That’s what we’ve got to do — get the job done.”
Back in October, President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski also stated that he was counting on Ramirez to improve his skills heading into next season. The Sox still have not added a middle of the order bat, although the door is still open on J.D. Martinez. If the Sox don’t end up signing Martinez, more pressure will be placed on Ramirez to produce offensively.
“Hanley is one of the guys that we look forward to having a bigger year for us from an offensive perspective,”Dombrowski said. “But really, some of that is gonna come from an internal perspective. And then you can look to add somebody from outside to help you somewhere. But we need to score more runs.”
When asked about his playing time being impacted if the Sox do sign Martinez, Ramirez seemed rather unconcerned.
“No, you’ve just got to hit. If you hit, you’re gonna play. That’s all you’ve got to do,” Ramirez said. “You’ve got to produce. If we can get him, it would be huge for our lineup. I know I can hit, and I’m gonna hit — it’s not gonna affect me. You’ve just got to be a good teammate and be ready to go wherever they need you to.”
Ramirez is a key factor in the team’s success in 2018. Hopefully, the work he puts in now will translate onto the field come next October.
“I know I can hit,” Ramirez said. “I can get 100 RBIs and 30-plus homers if I’m healthy. That’s what we’re working for this offseason. No offseason for me, and [it’s] starting to show.”
Joe Kelly coins new hashtag
Red Sox pitcher Joe Kelly trains with his new “pitching coach,” his young son Knox.
Kelly has previously tweeted his dislike for the “#NoOffseason” hashtag. On Tuesday, he posted these photos to Twitter along with his own hashtag: #YesOffseason.
I love having my Pitching Coach always by my side #alwayswatching #YesOffseason pic.twitter.com/bpytn2StP9
— Joe Kelly Jr. (@JosephKellyJr) January 23, 2018
