With all due respect to Ivan Rodriguez and Vladimir Guerrero, statistically speaking, Manny Ramirez is the top dog of the new possibilities for the 2017 Class. We will also say that he was the most entertaining. We are all aware of the eccentric “Manny being Manny moments, but ahead of all that was a man who was an incredible hitter who had a career slash line of .312/.411/.585/.996 that included one Batting Title, three On Base Percentage Titles, three Slugging Titles, and three OPS Titles. Most importantly, Ramirez maintained his offensive production in the postseason and was the Most Valuable Player for the Boston Red Sox in their 2004 World Series win. Arguably, Manny Ramirez is one of the most prolific offensive superstars to never win an MVP award or even make a runner-up finish, though he was in the top 10 in voting eight times, and he has more than enough stats to be a Hall of Fame entry.

Still, we all know what the elephant in the room is here, don’t we? “Manny being Manny” meant Manny injecting himself with Performance Enhancing Drugs, and unlike many suspected PED users, Ramirez WAS caught and served a suspension for it. If alleged PED use keeps superstars out, confirmed PED use will probably keep him out, regardless of what the stats say.  As he recently concluded his ten years on the writer’s ballot, we know the answer.