Greg Cote, blogger extraordinaire of the Miami Herald, put forth an interesting question today:
Who do you think will retire having had the greater career: Hanley Ramirez or the Heat's Dwyane Wade?
It's been well documented that we love these kinds of questions at The South Florida Fan, and I'll commence the discussion with my opinion. A month ago, the answer would have certainly been Dwyane Wade, in a Flash if I may say. Even on the heels of a horrid, injury-plagued season, Wade has the insurmountable distinction of having won a championship single-handedly, willing his team from down 2-0 and 13 points halfway through the 4th quarter. That Finals performance was one for the ages, and he deserves every accolade imaginable in the NBA universe.
So how has Hanley Ramirez managed to creep his way into the conversation? Through sheer brilliance, that's how. The 2006 Rookie of the Year may have been grossly underappreciated before this year, but his statistic prowess can no longer be ignored:
2006: .292/.353/.480, 17HR, 46 Doubles, 119R, 11 Triples, 59RBI, 51SB
2007: .332/.386/.562, 29HR, 48 Doubles, 125R, 6 Triples, 81RBI, 51SB
Those numbers are well beyond any predecessor. Simply put, he was in a league of his own. This year (18 games)?
2008: .366/.444/.634, 5HR, 16R, 14RBI, 5SB
We're looking at a phenom of all phenoms, a potential all-time great in the game of baseball.
Furthering Hanley's argument is Dwyane Wade's propensity for injury, especially in a sport so infamous for career-stunting wounds.
Even with all that, the nod has to go to Dwyane Wade. He's just accomplished so much more, and Hanley Ramirez is just an infant. The fact that it's close, however, is very much to Hanley's credit. Personally, I just hope we have the pleasure of watching both of them for a long long time in South Florida.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Dwyane Wade or Hanley Ramirez?
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4 comments:
Hanley, and I don't think it's all that close.
It has to be D-Wade. If he retired today he'd still be considered a legend in Miami history. While Hanley is certainly a blossoming superstar, he hasn't done anything to prove his worth...yet. But since this is a hypothetical, it's Flash.
Hanley.
He'll have the longevity once he moves to the OF. He's got the pop and speed to be a HOFer if he stays healthy.
Fifty-two HRs and 107 SBs at the age of 24...wow. If he makes the 300-500 club, he's a first ballot HOFer. Molitoresque numbers.
This is all completely premature, though.
Flash. Legends are made in defining moments, and Wade has already had one - he led his team to the championship and became Finals MVP in the process. Along the way, he gave Miami the closest thing to MJ it has ever seen. All that, and he just turns 26 this year.
Hanley may turn out to have a more stellar career, but that is just speculative at this point. There is nothing speculative about the magic Flash created in 2006. If Riley can re-build the supporting cast, expect at least 2 more championships for Dwyane.
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