Cowley: Ramirez Talks Silver Slugger
By Joe Cowley–
There were many that questioned the sanity of Ozzie Guillen when the White Sox manager insisted two years ago that Alexei Ramirez would not only be one of the best shortstops in the American League, but also better than Guillen in his own playing days.
It seems like once again Guillen knows what he's talking about.
One day after it was announced that Ramirez – nicked named "The Missile'' by Guillen – received his first career AL Silver Slugger Award, Ramirez spoke about it on Friday.
"I'm thrilled,'' Ramirez said through interpreter Lou Hernandez. "I'm not sure if I'm the first or second Cuban to accomplish this, but I'm really proud of the honor.''
Thanks to Rafael Palmeiro, he's the second, but what Ramirez has become is the first shortstop in Sox history to win the award, which is presented by Louisville Slugger and honors the best offensive performers at every position in each league as voted on by managers and coaches.
All Ramirez did for the Sox in '10 was hit .282 with 29 doubles, 18 home runs and 70 RBI in 156 games with the Sox in 2010. His .282 average marked the fourth-highest by a shortstop in club history, and his 18 home runs were the sixth-most. He also led all AL shortstops in average, slugging percentage (.431), home runs and total bases (252), ranked second in RBI, third in hits and tied for third in doubles.
This latest honor came just a week after he was named the shortstop on The Sporting News AL All-Star Team, joining Luis Aparicio (1968, '70) and Luke Appling (1936, '40 and '43) as the only three Sox shortstops to garner the honor.
Still missing from that trophy case, however, was a Gold Glove that Derek Jeter was once again given last week.
"It's just an honor to be mentioned in the Gold Glove conversation,'' Ramirez said of Jeter earning the honor. "I always say that it's not in my control.''
What Ramirez is trying to control is preparing himself for at least six months of baseball, as well as putting an end to the trend of playing like a no-show in the month of April. In the past three years, Ramirez is a .205 hitter in April with just two homers.
"I feel like the baseball season is six months of competition and every player will have that one bad month,'' Ramirez said. "My bad month unfortunately is early in the year. I'm doing my conditioning now to make sure I'm prepared for all six months.''
