Cubs hire Manny Ramirez as hitting consultant

Manny Ramirez was a player and a coach for the Chicago Cubs’ Triple-A team in Iowa last summer, but now he’s moved into a cushier role in the Cubs’ organization. Ramirez will be a hitting consultant to the team, which will help him avoid the travel of a roving instructor or the year-round duties of being a full-time coach. Considering he wasn’t a fan of traveling around the Pacific Coast League a year ago, this change likely suits Manny perfectly.

Ramirez’s days of playing baseball were all but officially over prior to this hiring. He last appeared in a major-league game in 2011, when he was 39 years old and briefly on the Rays, and since has spent his time in South Korea, the Dominican, and the farm systems of the A’s and Cubs. He only played in 22 games for the Iowa Cubs in 2014, with more of his time spent tutoring prospects and as a positive clubhouse presence, so it was clear he was already winding down even before a knee injury ended his season.

Ramirez will first be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2017, and a career change to a coach beloved by players who is making the most of his second chance with the game could do him some favors with the electorate. While Ramirez was twice suspended for PED usage, it was in the twilight of his career, after most of his 555 career homers and career .312/.411/.585 line were produced. He could end up in the Jason Giambi bin of players who maybe changed the story surrounding them just in time for Cooperstown’s gatekeepers to notice, especially since, unlike the Mark McGwires and Sammy Sosas of the world, his name isn’t associated with any treasured records.

That’s all something to think about later, though. The most important thing is that Manny now gets to teach today’s players how to be Manny, and not in the negative sense that phrase is normally used in.