Ramirez, Manny (1972-…), ranks among the greatest hitters in baseball history. In 2008, Ramirez hit his 500th career home run, the 24th player in major league history to reach that mark. He ended his career with 555 home runs. While playing for the Cleveland Indians (now called the Cleveland Guardians) in 1999, Ramirez led the American League in runs batted in with 165. While playing for the Boston Red Sox, he led the league in hitting with a .349 average in 2002 and in home runs with 43 in 2004. Ramirez was named the Most Valuable Player in the 2004 World Series, in which Boston defeated the St. Louis Cardinals of the National League. Ramirez played left field and right field. He batted and threw right-handed.
Manuel Aristides Ramírez was born on May 30, 1972, in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. He moved with his family to New York City in 1985. He was a star baseball player in high school. Cleveland drafted Ramirez as the 13th selection in the 1991 draft. He played two years in the minor leagues before joining the Indians in 1993. He played with Cleveland until he signed with Boston as a free agent after the 2000 season. The Red Sox traded Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers of the National League during the 2008 season. Ramirez played for the Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox in 2010 and briefly for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011. He played in the Dominican Professional Baseball League in 2012 and 2013 and then in the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan for a short time in 2013. The Texas Rangers signed him to a minor league contract in 2013 but released him in August.
