Renteria would move for Ramirez

According to this article from the Boston Globe, Edgar Renteria says that he'd be willing to switch positions in the future to make room for Hanley Ramirez, if asked. Renteria was signed by the Red Sox to a 4-year, $40 million contract in the offseason, leading many to question what are Boston's plans for Ramirez. Edgar and Hanley became friends during spring training, and Renteria thinks very highly of the talented prospect.

The article doesn't mention the potential fly in the ointment in this whole scenario - Dustin Pedroia, who (in my opinion) has passed Ramirez as Boston's top prospect and, being in AAA and all, is now closer to the majors than is Ramirez. (Actually, it's not just me, as Soxprospects.com now has Pedroia on the top of the list.) As I stated previously, I believe that Pedroia will be playing second base in Boston next year. I don't believe that Ramirez will be ready by opening day, but when he arrives Renteria (if he moves) would likely switch to 3B, keeping Pedroia at second base. (That or Hanley moves to 3B or CF - dunno who the Sox will have in those positions next season.) It's only six games, but Pedroia seems to be doing OK thus far - 263/440/474 (2 2B, 1 3B, 4 BB, 0K) - in Pawtucket. He was hit by a pitch Monday, however, and hasn't played since. Can't find any more news about him on the PawSox web site, though.

But this isn't about Pedroia, it's about Hanley Ramirez. For some reason unbeknownst to me, Ramirez is actually hitting quite a bit worse than he did last season (310/360/512 in 2004; 268/328/395 in 2005). The article claims that Ramirez "lacks discipline at the plate", but I don't actually agree with that. He certainly doesn't walk a lot, but he's walking a little more and striking out a little less than last year, and his IsoD of .060 is certainly nothing to be ashamed of. It's pretty much in line with what Renteria has done historically. Ramirez' problem this season is that he's not hitting the ball with as much authority lately. Is this because of his recent back injury? Is he cutting down on his swing to reduce strikeouts (which weren't really a problem to begin with)? Or is he trying to pull the ball more, going away from his natural opposite-field swing? The last one is my theory. (That, or he's been reading his own press clippings about how good he is and he's gotten a little lazy at the plate.) Whatever the reason, Ramirez just isn't making the kind of solid contact over the last month or so that we saw all of last August from him. I suspect it's something that can and will be adjusted for, and he'll start hitting the ball hard again, maybe earning his own promotion to Pawtucket in August.