Manny Ramirez: 24th Member of the 500 Home Run Club

We’ve watched Manny Ramirez since we were young; and followed his career closely. As a right handed outfielder, we emulated him as a hitter. We studied him. We were a big fan of his before he blew up into this superstar and future Hall of Famer. We remember when he ‘struggled’ and hit .328 with only 88 RBI and 26 home runs in 1997 while leading the Indians to the World Series.

We were heartbroken when he left Cleveland, but we continued to smile upon Manny because; afterall, he’s a great hitter. If you enjoy the game of baseball then there is no way you don’t enjoy watching this guy hit.

He’s the picture perfect semblance of balance in the batters box. Ramirez makes adjustments to pitchers as well as anyone in the game. Into his thirties he’s been able to remain extremely consistent and has became the best right handed hitter of our time.

Ramirez is proof that you can last a long time in this league, as a non-DH as long as you can swing the bat. We still remember when he homered his final at bat as an Indian; we knew it was over but that was Manny giving the Cleveland fans one more glance of greatness.

Ramirez is fun, which is what makes this milestone so great. He might be the most colorful and animated of all the 500-home run club members. We’re just shocked that in all those years of driving in runners and hitting long balls, Ramirez has never managed to win an MVP. That is kind of a travesty.

Manny Ramirez’s career home run log [Baseball Reference]