Hanley Ramírez (born December 23, 1983, in Samana,
Dominican Republic) is a shortstop in Major League
Baseball for the Florida Marlins. Ramirez was named
2006 NL Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers
Association of America. According to one scout,
Ramirez may be the second best all-around player in
the game behind Alex Rodriguez. Ramirez is nicknamed
"the Han-Ram", a portmanteau of his first and last
names.
Entering the 2008 season, Ramirez was now looked at
as the face of the franchise after the Marlins
traded All-Stars Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle
Willis. Ramirez has contributed well in the Marlins
fast start with him looking at playing his first
All-Star game, possibly even starting.
In addition, Ramirez agreed to a six-year, $70
million extension, by far making it the richest
contract in Marlin history and furthermore making
him the face of the franchise through the new
stadium in 2011. MLB.com has reported that Ramirez
will get $23.5 million in his arbitration years of
2009 through 2011, $15 million in 2012, $15.5
million in 2013 and $16 million in 2014. However,
there is no trade clause included in the deal.
