Hanley Ramirez a Terrific Pick for NL Rookie of the Year
Florida Marlins rookie Hanley Ramirez was nowhere near the top of the rookie leader board for home runs and RBIs. But the talented, 22-year-old shortstop did lead all rookies in runs (119), hits (185), extra-base hits (74), total bases (304), stolen bases (51) and hitting (.292). Throw 56 walks into the mix, and Ramirez had a solid .833 OPS (on base plus slugging) that was more than respectable for a veteran middle infielder. With 46 doubles, 11 triples and 51 steals, Ramirez must have put himself in scoring position more than 100 times, in addition to scoring himself 13 times on homers. It's surprising he didn't score well more than 119 runs in 158 games, though that would have had more to do with the run production of his teammates. All in all, Ramirez was a terrific choice. At age 22, he's only going to get better for a number of years.