Manny Ramirez Signs with Independent Team in Japan

At age 44, former MLB star Manny Ramirez will launch a comeback in Japan, agreeing to a deal with independent club Kochi Fighting Dogs.

The owner of a career that has already been quite a rollercoaster ride, Manny Ramirez has ensured that his story will feature at least one more unexpected twist. The 44-year-old former MLB slugger has signed a contract with the Kochi Fighting Dogs in Japan’s independent Shikoku Island League Plus.

The team announced the signing on its official website and posted a photo of Ramirez wearing his new club’s cap and jersey. Ramirez’s wife Juliana had revealed earlier in the offseason that her husband was working out in preparation for some kind of comeback. Reports surfaced that he was talking to teams in Japan.

Ramirez rose to prominence as one of the most complete hitters of the 1990s and 2000s. From 1995 through 2008, he averaged a .317/.414/.598 slash line along with 36 home runs and 119 RBI per season, putting him among the game’s most consistent power and run production threats. Ramirez is one of only 12 players to drive in 160 runs or more in a season (165 RBI in 1999 for the Cleveland Indians). He logged 12 campaigns of at least 30 home runs and is third all-time in career grand slams with 21.

Overall, Ramirez ranks 15th all-time with 555 home runs and 18th with 1,831 RBI after 19 big league seasons. A first-ballot ticket to Cooperstown should have been a no-brainer for him, but Ramirez’s on-field heroics were rivaled only by the stream of distractions and controversies that seemed to follow him wherever he went.

Whether inexplicably cutting off a relay throw from his fellow outfielder or disappearing into the Green Monster for an impromptu break between pitches, you could just never predict what was coming next. His erratic nature gave birth to the phrase “Manny being Manny,” which is still a recognizable part of the baseball lexicon.

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However, Ramirez’s biggest controversy – and the one most damaging to his Hall of Fame candidacy – came in 2009, when he was suspended 50 games for violating the league’s banned substance policy. Ramirez tested positive again in 2011 and received a 100-game ban after playing only five games that season for the Tampa Bay Rays. He chose to retire rather than serve the prolonged suspension, though he later changed his mind and unsuccessfully attempted to catch on with a handful of organizations.

After brief stints in the Dominican Republic and Taiwan, Ramirez signed a minor league contract in 2014 to be a player-coach with the Chicago Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate. He remained with the franchise the following year as a hitting consultant, where he drew praise from Cubs manager Joe Maddon and others for his work with the organization’s young players.

Though there have been signs of thaw in some Hall of Fame voters’ freeze-out of players connected to steroids, Ramirez will fall well short of enshrinement on his first ever ballot when this year’s results are announced. While his sudden move to Japan might raise some eyebrows, it could allow him to divert the narrative a bit.

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So can Manny still belt a few homers at age 44? The competition in his new league presumably won’t be the most demanding: it has just four teams and is not to be confused with Nippon Professional Baseball, Japan’s premier baseball league. Who knows how this latest chapter in the Manny Ramirez saga will play out, but if the previous ones are any indication, it should certainly be entertaining.