Manny Ramirez On 2017 Hall Of Fame Ballot
BOSTON (CBS) — Former Red Sox slugger and two-time World Series champion Manny Ramirez is among the 19 new candidates on the 2017 Hall of Fame ballot.
In addition to Ramirez, catcher Iván Rodríguez, outfielder Vladimir Guerrero and shortstop Edgar Rentería highlight the list of newcomers vying for their spot in Cooperstown. Rodríguez won an incredible 13 Gold Gloves in his 21 seasons behind the plate, while Guerrero was a nine-time All-Star during his 16-year career. Rentería won two Gold Gloves at shortstop and was a World Series hero for two different franchises, driving in the winning run for the Marlins in Game 7 of their 1997 championship and earning MVP honors for the San Francisco Giants in 2010.
Ramirez was a 12-time All-Star and MVP of Boston's dramatic 2004 World Series victory, amassing 555 home runs and 1,831 RBIs over his 19-year career in Major League Baseball. He was a lifetime .312 hitter during the regular season, and was even better in the postseason. Ramirez clubbed 29 homers in 23 playoff games, the most in postseason history, with his 78 RBIs ranking second.
Ramirez helped lead the Red Sox to a pair of World Series titles, in 2004 and 2007, during his eight seasons with the team. He hit 274 home runs in a Boston uniform to go with a .312 batting average and .999 OPS.
Steroid use may keep Ramirez out of Cooperstown, though. He was suspended for 50 games in 2009 after testing positive for a banned female fertility drug while a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and retired in 2011 when he was facing a 100-game suspension for his second positive test for performance-enhancing drugs. His suspension was cut to 50 games because he sat out most of the 2011 season, but Ramirez did not play in the majors again, only seeing time in the minors from 2012-14.
Several of Ramirez's teammates in Boston are also on the ballot for the first time this year: pitcher Tim Wakefield, catcher Jason Varitek, shortstop Orlando Cabrera and outfielder J.D. Drew.
Here is the full list of players on the 2017 Hall of Fame ballot: Jeff Bagwell, Casey Blake, Barry Bonds, Pat Burrell, Orlando Cabrera, Mike Cameron, Roger Clemens, J.D. Drew, Carlos Guillén, Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Jeff Kent, Derrek Lee, Edgar Martínez, Fred McGriff, Melvin Mora, Mike Mussina, Magglio Ordóñez, Jorge Posada, Tim Raines, Manny Ramírez, Edgar Rentería, Arthur Rhodes, Iván Rodríguez, Freddy Sánchez, Curt Schilling, Gary Sheffield, Lee Smith, Sammy Sosa, Matt Stairs, Jason Varitek, Billy Wagner, Tim Wakefield, Larry Walker.
The 2017 Hall of Fame class will be announced on January 18, 2017.