Manny Ramirez Signs with Dodgers: Fantasy Baseball Impact

Manny Ramirez finally put an end to his seemingly never ending contract saga, by agreeing to terms with the Los Angeles Dodgers today. His contract is slated at two years for $45 million dollars. Does Manny Ramirez have enough left in the tank to produce two solid years for the Los Angeles Dodgers?

Absolutely. If you take a close look at Manny Ramirez's stats over the second half of last season, it is clear that he still has the ability to be a wonderful player, as well as a top five outfielder in the entire game. Manny Ramirez instantly becomes the Los Angeles Dodgers' best outfielder, and will be a real force to reckon with in their lineup.

Looking back at last season and projecting Manny to this season is somewhat difficult. It can be safely assumed that he will not bat close to .332 again, seeing that he has hit anywhere from .292 to .321 from 2005 to the present. A batting average around .310 seems like a reasonable projection for the 36 year old outfielder.

Los Angeles has a fairly good lineup from top to bottom, so Manny should be protected pretty well with the players around him. After an off year of power in 2007, he rebounded nicely in 2008, hitting 37 home runs. Ramirez still swings an incredible power bat, but expecting him to hit 37 home runs again seems a bit out of reach. A reasonable total would be anywhere from 25-30 home runs, which is still very strong, considering his age.

Seeing that Manny will be batting in the middle of the Los Angeles lineup makes me believe that he will produce more runs batted in than runs scored. Expect anywhere from 105-115 runs batted in for the slugger. His runs scored numbers should remain high but regress a bit from last year. Expect him to score 85-90 runs for the Dodgers, being among the top LA statistical leaders in all of the major offensive categories.

Players who play in keeper leagues have a no-brainer for this year. If you have Manny Ramirez, you have to keep him, at least for one more year. Ramirez is going to be a force in the Dodger lineup, and will be a big time fantasy baseball contributor for those who draft him. Even though he is reporting to spring training camp a little late, Ramirez still has plenty of time to get into game shape and get ready for regular season games.

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/spring2009/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&id=3952950