What we know is that Manny Ramirez is one of the most frustrating players in baseball today. Boston fans over the last few years saw Manny Ramirez fail to run out batted balls and hit towering home runs. They saw great diving catches and easy fly ball bobbles. They saw a power hitter averaging 35+ home runs, hit over .300 and then go into a funk and take unnecessary time to rest an injury. They saw a great clubhouse guy who helped keep the locker room relaxed but also regularly took phone calls and bathroom breaks in the middle of the game. They saw a man who wanted everyone to love him but also be left to himself. Those are the contradictions that Boston fans (and Indians’ fans before that) learned to express simply as Manny being Manny.

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So what can a fantasy baseball owner expect from Manny for 2009 and beyond?

Let’s turn back the clock to Spring 2008. Manny was coming off his worst year with 20 homers and a batting average below .300, and his stock was at its lowest. Many fantasy owners felt they were “reaching” for him in the 4^th and 5th round. He was a Fantasy Superstar that was declining due to age. Today, after a hype-filled season where he was traded, he showed he can put up insane numbers and is being picked as a 2^nd rounder in mock drafts.

Its not that that Manny is not capable of 35+ homeruns, 100+ RBIs, 100 runs and a .300 average every year for the next 4 or 5 years, which should put him first or second round in every fantasy draft. The issue is simply Manny being Manny. The Manny of 2009 and beyond will depend on where he ends up playing and personally I would rather spend my fantasy dollar or high round draft pick on player that is I can consistently count on; Manny just simply can’t do that in certain scenarios.

One of the places he is projected to go is to the Angels. In that scenario he will be paid nicely, will have players like Vlad and Hunter around him to makes sure he sees some pitches to hit, and the west coast media and fans will continue to embrace him. But do we really know how Manny will get along with a fiery Mike Scioscia as manager? We have seen countless examples in the past of Manny defying authority before. Scioscia is a hard-nosed guy that won’t put up with Manny’s antics. I smell trouble brewing ahead

Another possibility is the Yankees or Mets. In both scenarios we have great lineups with lots of good bats so that Manny will be left to do what he does best, hit. Can he exist peacefully with the New York Media for the long haul? He is a media circus already and quite frankly playing in New York, just kicks it up a notch. Again I smell trouble brewing ahead.

So wherever Manny ends up use caution and if you decide to pick up Manny for your fantasy team, do so knowing you can be getting a great star or a moody aging player going through the motions. Either way you are quite simply getting……. Manny being Manny.

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written by Patrick DiCaprio, January 01, 2009

absolutely my favorite moment in his career was when he cut off damon's warning track throw when he was about 50 feet away. the jokers at MLB will not allow the video to be shared, but it was awesome!

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written by big o, January 01, 2009

nice article , sean .

imo , if manny thinks he's worth 25 mil and his contract calls for him to be paid 22.5 mil , then manny (being clowny) will give 20 mil worth of effort .

his late season pitch-hit (for the sox) vs mariano rivera ... where the bat never came off his shoulder ... should give every potential owner cause for concern .

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