Aramis Ramírez

Aramis Ramírez
Ramírez with the Cubs in 2008.
Milwaukee Brewers – No. 16
Third baseman
Born: June 25, 1978 (1978-06-25) Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 26, 1998 for the Pittsburgh Pirates
Career statistics (through 2011 Season)
Batting average	.284
Home runs	315
Hits	1,788
Runs batted in	1,122
Runs	873
Teams
Pittsburgh Pirates (1998–2003) Chicago Cubs (2003–2011) Milwaukee Brewers (2012–Present)
Career highlights and awards
2× All-Star Selection (2005, 2008, 2011) 2008 NL Hank Aaron Award 2011 NL Silver Slugger Award for NL 3B 4× NL Player of the Week

Aramis Nin Ramírez (English pronunciation: /əˈrɑːmɨs/; born June 25, 1978, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is an All-Star Major League Baseball third baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers.

He started his professional career with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1998, before being traded to the Cubs in 2003. On November 12, 2006, Ramírez signed a five-year deal with the Cubs. He declined his option for 2012 and will file for free agency.

MLB career

Early years with Pirates

On November 7, 1994, Ramírez signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates. On May 26, 1998, he made his major league debut with the Pirates, becoming the youngest player in MLB at that time.

Ramírez struggled in his first three seasons, splitting playing time between the Pirates and Triple-A Nashville. Playing with the Pirates for an entire season for the first time in 2001, Ramírez hit .300 with 34 home runs. In 2002, his batting performance dipped to .234 with 18 home runs.

2003: Traded to the Cubs

Ramírez was traded to the Chicago Cubs with outfielder Kenny Lofton on July 23, 2003. Ramírez finished the 2003 season strong in Chicago, though he led the majors with 33 errors at third base. He had the lowest fielding percentage of all Major League third basemen with .929. The Cubs made the playoffs and defeated the Atlanta Braves before being beaten by eventual World Series champions the Florida Marlins in the seven-game 2003 National League Championship Series. During Game 4 of the NLCS, Ramírez made Cubs history. In the first inning, Ramírez hit the first grand slam in the playoffs in Cubs history off Marlins starter Dontrelle Willis. Ramírez was one of the more productive Cubs' players during the NLCS, hitting 3 home runs, driving in 7 RBIs, and hitting a triple in Game 1.

2004 season

On September 16, 2004, Ramírez became the 14th player in Major League history to have two different games with three home runs in a season. On defense, his range factor of 2.26 was the lowest among all Major League third basemen.

2005 season

In 2005, he was elected to play in his first Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Ramírez finished the season on the disabled list, after straining his quadriceps femoral muscle on August 24. He finished the season with 31 home runs and 92 RBIs.

2006 season

In 2006, Ramírez hit 38 home runs while driving in 119 runs. He collected his 1000th hit on July 15 versus the New York Mets. On defense, his range factor of 2.41 was the lowest among Major League third basemen for the third straight year. After the season, he was listed as being potentially the biggest free agent in the market. Ramírez elected to stay with the Cubs, agreeing to a 5-year, $73 million contract on November 12, 2006.

2007 season

Ramírez takes a swing.

Ramírez hit his 200th career home run off Claudio Vargas on April 23, 2007. On June 29, 2007, Ramírez had one of the best games of his career, in which he went 3 for 5, highlighted by ending a crucial game against the Milwaukee Brewers with a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the 9th off pitcher, Francisco Cordero to cap a five-run comeback win. Many Cubs fans saw this game as the best comeback win of the season, which also sparked a new rivalry with the Brewers.

The Cubs won the 2007 National League Central division, thanks in large part to Ramírez, whose 101 RBIs led the team. He finished second on the Cubs in home runs (26) and batting average (.310). The divisional title came only after battling it out with Milwaukee for the final month of September.

Ramírez made strides to improve his defensive game in 2007, as he lowered his error total and improved his range factor for the third consecutive year.

2008 season

On June 20, in the bottom of the 9th, during the first game of the 2008 Crosstown Classic against the Chicago White Sox, Ramírez hit his 2nd home run of the day for a walk off. He went on to homer in each of the next two games in that series.

On July 7, Ramírez was selected to play in the 2008 MLB All-Star Game as a reserve. Prior to game 4 of the 2008 World Series, Ramírez was awarded the Hank Aaron Award as the most outstanding offensive performer in the National League. Ramírez finished the season with the lowest range factor (2.16) of all major league third basemen.

2009 Season

Ramírez got off to a quick start in 2009 with 5 RBI during the Cubs' opening series against the Houston Astros. His first-inning homer in the season opener off Roy Oswalt was the 250th of his career. On April 18 against the St. Louis Cardinals, he hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning.

On May 8, Ramírez dislocated his left shoulder while fielding a ground ball in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

2010 Season

Ramirez began the season fairly slowly, batting .168 with 5 home runs and 22 RBIs through his first 47 games before landing on the 15-Day Disabled List on June 9 with a bruised thumb. Infielder Chad Tracy was recalled from the Iowa Cubs to replace Ramirez.

Ramirez returned to the starting lineup on June 25 in Chicago against the White Sox. On defense, in 2010 he had the lowest fielding percentage among major league third baseman, at .939.

2011 Season

Ramirez activated his 14 million dollar contract on November 3 of 2010 to stay on with the team in the 2011 season.

On June 27, 2011, Ramirez and teammate Carlos Pena homered twice in a 7-3 win over the Colorado Rockies. Ramirez and Pena both hit a two-run home run and a solo home run each.

On July 1, 2011, Ramírez hit his 300th career home run against the Chicago White Sox just 1 day after Mark Teixeira hit his 300th Home run

On July 10, 2011, Aramis Ramirez was asked by National League manager Bruce Bochy to replace Placido Polanco in the 2011 MLB All-Star game, but Ramirez declined the invitation due to previous plans to be with his family during the break.

On October 30, 2011, Ramirez declined his portion of the $16 million option on his contract and chose to become a free agent.

On November 02, 2011, Ramirez was awarded the The Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger Award for best offensive NL 3rd Baseman. In his 9th season as a Cub, Ramirez batted .306 with 35 doubles, 26 HRs and a team-high 93 RBIs. He also led the team in slugging percentage and on-base percentage.

2012: Milwaukee Brewers

On December 12, 2011, Ramirez was signed by the Milwaukee Brewers for a 3 year deal. Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com confirms the deal and says it’s expected to be worth $34-37 million.

See also

• List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)