Hanley Ramirez Crystal Ball

by John Sickels on Feb 5, 2026 3:55 PM EST in News Comment 32 comments

This Crystal Ball assumes that

he will stay relatively healthy
he will keep his work ethic (a problem when he was in the lower minors) in top gear throughout his career.

Disclaimer: The Crystal Ball is an "educated opinion"...not to be taken TOO seriously and mostly for fun. I do put quite a bit of work into them, looking at similar players and trying to figure out how the guy in question might develop. Is there a fancy computer program? No. Do I just slop numbers on the page? No. It is less than a projection/prediction but more than just guesswork.

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How

How do you determine this? Or is it from the crystal ball called "Baseball Mogul"?

by highlightreel on Feb 5, 2026 4:16 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

He explained this...

... in the Granderson Crystal Ball

https://www.minorleagueball.com/story/2007/2/3/14283/49326#commenttop

Its near the bottom.

by grozzy on Feb 5, 2026 4:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I will

assume Hanley moves to 2b as a member of the Mets?

by Peter North on Feb 5, 2026 4:18 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

what happened to Jose Reyes

to make the mets go after him? or will hanley switch to 2B to form one of the most insane DP combos of all time?

by wildthang on Feb 5, 2026 4:19 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

jose reyes?

Are you assuming the mets get rid of reyes, or does ramirez move to second base?

by jesterraceif on Feb 5, 2026 4:19 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

yay

we all are saying the same thing here... I don't see Reyes going anywhere...

by Metty5 on Feb 5, 2026 4:25 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

The Mets

will never even allow Reyes to hit FA, after this current deal is in the last year they will likely tear it up and give him a 7-8 year monster deal.

by Peter North on Feb 5, 2026 4:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

On a Hall of Fame course

It's very early yet, but the Crystal Ball projects a Hall of Fame career. BBRef's top 10 comparables include 2 Hall of Famers (Boudreau and Sewell), another certain choice (Jeter), a near miss (Vern Stephens) and Robinson Cano (who is almost as young as Ramirez.

It is the National League, and this means that all stats have to be discounted, but even with that Ramirez had a very, very impressive rookie season.

by Mike Green on Feb 5, 2026 4:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

2022-2023 Seasons

I am going to guess that he went on an offseason polar expedition with Phil Hughes, Jose Tabata and Robinson Cano and was stranded for several days and got frostbite in his wrists and arms, effectively sapping all his power and he calls it quits midseason when he finds himself constantly in pain and he just can't get it going after multiple DL stints.

by wildthang on Feb 5, 2026 4:27 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

wow

Jose and Hanley hitting 1-2 would be insanity. Talk about putting pressure on a defense and pitcher...

by akk99 on Feb 5, 2026 4:47 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

God, that's annoying....

Reyes is being mentioned here more than Ramirez, and it's his Crystal Ball.

Let's let Reyes have one more season of doing well before we elect him into the Hall of Fame and crown him the greatest SS of all time like some seem to be doing.

by Boxkutter on Feb 5, 2026 5:27 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

um

you mean greatest player of all time. Because he is.

by Metty5 on Feb 5, 2026 5:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I heard

He'll be in the starting rotation too.

by Metty5 on Feb 5, 2026 5:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Reyes

may as well be crowned greatest human being of all time, he's just that good.

by revans37 on Feb 5, 2026 6:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Question

Why do the SB totals for Hanley drop so quickly? He doesn't steal more than 31 bases after age 24.

I don't get enjoyment out of reading baseball books. I'd rather watch a sci-fi movie on TV. -Joe Morgan, Emmy winning BASEBALL analyst

by gatling on Feb 5, 2026 5:37 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Yeah Im surprised...

... that Hanley's power doesnt really develop much more than it is, but his speed regresses rather early. Personally I feel like he will develop more power than above, but I feel like his career will look like above with a few more HRs

by grozzy on Feb 5, 2026 5:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

That struck me too

I really don't think he's posted his career high in SB in his rookie season. I think SB totals tend to be more erratic and to decline slower than in this projection. Although, I suppose it does look like he suffers some kind of injury in 2009, so maybe he loses a bit of footspeed there. Still, I was expecting to see 60 somewhere!

by chaney on Feb 6, 2026 4:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

reds

The Reds trade for him IN SEASON for a pennant run chase. Look again.

by John Sickels on Feb 5, 2026 6:24 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Still wrong...

The Reds trade for him in the middle of the season in his last year of the contract.

He then signs with the Nats. And it's possible he wouldn't want to sign with the Red Sox after they already traded him away once.

Maybe the Yanks sign him to be a utility middle infielder, not a starter. He has played SS and 2B most likely according to this. But maybe there is an injury and he has to play most of the season.

These things are for fun, don't take them so seriously.

by Boxkutter on Feb 5, 2026 10:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Geez guys lighten up

First of all, how do you know who will be running and onwing the Nats in those years. What is Mark Cuban says, screw it, I want a baseball team. He can pay CASH for the Nats in 2009, fire that idiot GM they have and get an actual GM with some talent. Then Cuban says, hey, whatever the Yanks spend, double it. You have no budget. I just want to win.
The Crystal ball is part comparing similar hitters, checking skill sets, possible injuries, past and future, and some guesswork. Take it easy on him. And how do you know that he wont fail a drug test for the newly banned NYQUIL, and get tossed from baseball and miss a chance on his last 201 hits???

by Maxima231 on Feb 5, 2026 6:42 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

2017

You're assuming that Kenny Williams is Sox GM in 2017...that's a long way away. :)

Having Ramirez and Reyes in the middle infield at the same time (one at 2B, one at short) would make the Mets an outstanding team. And they'd have the money to pull it off. I can see going to the Red Sox instead as another likely option, but the Mets thing isn't that out of bounds.

by John Sickels on Feb 5, 2026 6:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

And John,

Lets not forget Hanley's most important attribute. He's Hispanic ;-)

by Metty5 on Feb 5, 2026 6:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

haha

In the name of David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Lastings Milledge. Amen.

by BlackOps on Feb 6, 2026 4:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

GOD

Yankee fans...all attitude, zero substance.

Former stars that the Yankees have "serviced" over the past couple years just off the top of my head: Bernie Williams, Tino Martinez, Tony Clark, Raul Mondesi.

by Harold Baines on Feb 5, 2026 8:59 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

re

Bernie is a career Yankee, they didn't bring him in to "servivce" him.

Tino has a legacy with one of the great baseball dynasties of all-time (Yanks 1996-2001). They were just bringing him home to finish his career as a Yankee.

Tony Clark was washed up and came in as a non-roster invitee.

Raul Mondesi came in for the strech run after numerous OFers went down in 2002.

The Yankees certainly don't bring in aging vets just to watch them reach career milestones, they bring in players they think can help the team. If not, you would have seen Boggs get #3000 with the Yanks, Bonds go for 756, Fred McGriff go for #500 (he wanted to play for the Yanks and they worked him out), Canseco stick around longer than one month, etc.

by ScottAZ on Feb 6, 2026 9:32 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Josh Beckett.

Huh? Who said that?

by Klostrophobic on Feb 5, 2026 10:07 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Hanley

No matter how SOCIALIST baseball world gets, I can't imagine Nationals doling out big bucks for an aging hitter for one year?

See Alfonso Soriano.

But then again, who's to say Jim Bowden is still at the helm by that time.

http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/J-R-B --- Projections, prospect spotlights, fantasy bits, and witty banter. Feb 5: Chris Young Spotlight

by JRB on Feb 6, 2026 12:22 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Disclaimer

Someone tell Tazmania to read it.

http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/J-R-B --- Projections, prospect spotlights, fantasy bits, and witty banter. Feb 5: Chris Young Spotlight

by JRB on Feb 6, 2026 12:26 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

RE: hehehe

Good one,

Metty5.

I assume H. Ramirez will hit the market. But, who would you rather sign, Miguel Cabrera; there is no way the Marlins sign him to a big-buck deal....

H.Ramirez is a fine player, and would indeed make a good 2B combo with Reyes...or anywhere, for that matter. But, Miguel is awesome.

"Fantasy, reality, science Fiction. Which is which? Who can tell?"

by feslenraster on Feb 6, 2026 7:40 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Miguel

Yea he is probably the best valued player in the league right now. I'm a huge supported of lineup dynamics and builds. That being said, I would rather have Beltran, Delgado, Wright, with Reyes in front of them, then Beltran, Miggy, Delgado Wright, with Anderson Hernandez leading off.

by Metty5 on Feb 6, 2026 11:55 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Kind of

Alan Trammell but with more speed

by Trenchtown on Feb 6, 2026 2:24 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Interesting 2014 season

Funny to see him hitting 17 homers more or less consistently throughout his 20's, then slipping to 9 (but still with a lot of hits for that .331 AVG), and then bouncing right back with 24, 22, and 21 (3 of the 5 20+ homer seasons there). You'd think that age 30, when his power would be peaking or at its peak, he wouldn't hit basically the lowest amount of HR in his career.

When asked why I was a Mets fan, I responded, "pain is my lifeblood."

by wrightHOF on Feb 7, 2026 5:39 PM EST reply actions 0 recs