Manny Ramirez Wants To Make Another Comeback In Taiwan As Player-Coach
BOSTON (CBS) -- Manny Ramirez is itching to get back into baseball. The former Red Sox slugger is eyeing another return to the diamond in Taiwan -- as a player-coach.
"My goal for 2020, is to find a roster spot in the (Chinese Professional Baseball League)," Ramirez told Mark Buckton of The Taiwan Times. "I have been itching to get back in the batter's box and be able to compete again. I also miss being around teammates and team dinners post-game.
"I know if I was given the opportunity to come in an organization as a player-coach, it would do great things for the organization and the league," added Ramirez, who will turn 48 next month.
The CPBL is the only pro league in the world currently playing, with other leagues shut down due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Ramirez played in the league in 2013, stepping in the box for the EDA Rhinos. That franchise is now the Fubon Guardians.
Ramirez hit .352 with eight homers and 43 RBIs over 49 games for the Rhinos, but moved back to the U.S. to be closer to his family. Now, he wants to mash some baseballs again.
"The people of Taiwan treated me like 'baseball-royalty,' and I was truly overwhelmed by the island's love for the game," Ramirez said of his first go-around in the CPBL.
Ramirez tried to return to MLB after his first stint in Taiwan, attempting a comeback as a player-coach with the Triple-A affiliate for the Chicago Cubs in 2014. His last year in MLB was in 2011 when he played five games with the Tampa Bay Rays, but he retired when he was facing a 100-game suspension for testing positive for PEDs. It would have been Ramirez's second suspension for PEDs by MLB.
Overall, Ramirez played 19 MLB seasons, spending time with the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and Rays. He was in full Manny Being Manny mode during his eight seasons with the Red Sox, mashing 274 homers while slashing .312/.411/.588. He made the All-Star team every season in Boston and helped the Red Sox win a pair of World Series titles. He was MVP of Boston's 2004 World Series victory over the St. Louis Cardinals, hitting .412 with a homer and four RBIs in Boston's sweep of the Cardinals. That postseason, Ramirez hit .350 and drove in 11 runs as Boston marched to its first title since 1918 with series wins over the Angels, Yankees and Cardinals.
For his MLB career, Ramirez hit 555 homers while slashing .312/.411/.585.