Talking Giants Baseball: A San Francisco Giants/Baseball Blog: Manny Ramirez Goes 0-For-2 in Oakland Athletics Exhibition Debut

Friday, March 2, 2012

Manny Ramirez Goes 0-For-2 in Oakland Athletics Exhibition Debut

Oakland Athletics' slugger Manny Ramirez had a less than stellar first day on the job.

By User shgmom56 on Flickr (Originally posted to Flickr as "DSC03222") [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Ramirez took two at-bats in the A's Cactus League opener and grounded out both times, including into a double play in the bottom of the first inning. He was the starting designated hitter for that game.

Although Ramirez struggled at the plate today, he told ESPN he felt good.

"At least I was seeing the ball pretty good," Ramirez said.

Ramirez signed a minor league deal worth $500,000 back in February. If he makes the big-league club, Ramirez will have to serve a 50-game suspension for violating Major League Baseball's drug policy.

As for Ramirez's new green-beanied wardrobe?

"I like the white uniform. It's beautiful," Ramirez told ESPN. "My friends, they'll be calling, 'Man, you look so good in green.'"

...

Before you all bring out the "I told you so" comments, consider this...

It was Manny's first baseball game in a year. He has not faced live pitching in a real game since the very beginning of last season, and it is a good sign that he even put the bat on the ball today.

Does this mean he is going to start mashing the ball like he did back in his heyday? Definitely not, but if he can give the A's .265, with 20 home runs and 75 RBI, I think Oakland would be very happy.

The bottom line is it is simply too early to tell how Ramirez will do this season based on one preseason game. Even the best of the best go hitless in a game, and look way worse than Ramirez did, but the first game is always overblown simply because there is no past history to go by.

Ah, the quandary sports sometimes is. Strap em' on folks. It's going to be a bumpy ride with Mannywood in town.

...

Will Manny be a contributor for the Athletics this season? Was today's two failed at-bats a microcosm of Manny's 2012 season? Or do you think Manny will tear it up this season?

Will Ramirez do more harm than good for the A's? Will Manny be Manny?

Lastly, is an opening game (whether it be opening day or the preseason opener) overblown too much by the media or is a good start crucial to a baseball player's success.

We will find out as the soap opera called a 162-game baseball season unfolds. Stay tuned....





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1 comment:

  1. Manny sucks. He will be nothing more than a .200 hitter if he joins the A's!!!

    ReplyDelete

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