Since Hanley Ramirez returned from the disabled list, a lot of things have changed for the slugger. He now has a new manager (Jack McKeon) and hitting instructor (Eduardo Perez). With Ramirez’s early season struggles, the two fresh faces in the Marlins’ dugout decided it was time for the shortstop to try something new at the plate.
After studying tape, Perez noticed something different between the Ramirez that averaged over 25 home runs and an OPS north of .900 during his past 4 seasons and the one that’s showed up to begin 2011.
"“I think he got a little comfortable picking that leg up, and that would cause him to fall off balance a little bit,” said Perez. “He’d start late and, with that higher leg kick, it created a longer stride. I wanted him to get started a little bit earlier and just go back to his past, his 2009 and 2006.”“It’s a tough adjustment because he’s been kicking that leg for a while,” Perez said. “But, once he gets the hang of it, we’ll be able to see the Hanley we’re used to seeing.”"
While it’s only a sample of 5 games, it appears Ramirez is starting take off at plate. He’s 8 for his last 20 with 4 RBIs over that span.
It will be interesting to see if Ramirez’s new approach continues to work, and how long it takes him to return to the slugger of old.