The 100 Greatest in 100 Days: #27 Manny Ramirez

Smashing in at #27 is the most underrated hitter in baseball history Manny Ramirez.  Man-Ram battered pitchers in a way that hasn’t been seen since Babe Ruth and Ted Williams, literally. Manny and Ruth are the only two players in history with at least 550 career home runs, a .410 on-base percentage, and a .310 batting average. Manny and Ted Williams are the only players since 1936 with at least a .310 batting average and a .585 slugging %. Manny is 8th all-time in career slugging % and has the third-highest slugging % since 1958. He’s 10th all-time in AB/HR and his 165 RBIs in 1999 are the most in a single season since 1937. He tallied seven seasons of at least 120 RBIs which trails only Alex Rodriguez for the most since 1937. Manny’s regular-season career was extraordinary, but his postseason performance is the secret weapon that puts Manny’s career in the pantheon of baseball sluggers. He led 11 teams to the postseason, winning two World Series titles in four appearances while also being named the 2004 World Series MVP. His 29 postseason home runs are seven more than any other player in history. He’s the all-time leader in postseason RBIs (78) and tied for the lead in walks (72), and he is third all-time in postseason hits (117) and runs (67).  While these sound like video game numbers, this was simply Manny being Manny.

Leave a Reply

Hi (hopefully) awesome reader! I welcome your comments. However, please be aware that I make all of my arguments using facts, statistics, and logic. Unfortunately, the average comment on a top-100 list goes something like this:

"UR StooPid. (Insert player) is trash. I've watched (pick a sport) for (pick a number of years) and (pick a player) is better than everyone. UR DUMB. HAHA6969."

–Some Jabroni

As cognitively stimulating as this species of comment is, it ends up being a missed opportunity to share a nuanced perspective. I reply to all comments that show even the most basic levels of thought and humility. The people who make the comments like the example above are under the assumption that the three seconds of thought that popped into their brains after reading the list is more than the 1000s of hours that I put into creating and maintaining the lists. I would be happy to defend any placement, or make an adjustment if one is warranted. If you are a jabroni, like the one above, then your comment will die in the lonely void of the unpublished comments section.

For everyone else, I look forward to your comments!

P.S. The theme of this site and the top-100 lists is that athletes from previous generations have historically been grossly overrated by sports publications in a way that is statistically improbable. Click on the "About" dropdown menu to see just how badly the average top-100 list disproportionately favors athletes from older generations when leagues were smaller, race quotas existed, and globalization wasn't a thing. Also, please consider reading "The History" section of the sport you are commenting on.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *