One of the reasons I’m hesitant to pick the Dodgers in the NL West despite all that talent is that almost all of that talent has question marks. Some guys have health questions. Some guys have to show that their best years aren’t behind them. Some guys -- well, Hanley Ramirez -- has to show that he can go back to his old, tougher defensive position and not be a liability.
As Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times notes, that last one is becoming a bigger and bigger question:Ramirez is the designated hitter for the Dominican Republic in Monday’s World Baseball Classicsemifinal against the Netherlands. He has alternated between third base and DH in the tournament, batting .176 with two home runs in the previous six games.
His fielding last season so concerned the Dodgers that they wanted him to play shortstop in winter ball, but a shoulder injury limited him to DH. He played 25 innings of shortstop over six games at the start of spring training, then left to join the Dominican team.I don’t know how someone who was already a defensive liability at short can be ready to play a full season at short with minimal preparation there. But I guess we’ll see it play out in real time with Hanley Ramirez.
