He’s. not. done. yet.
After weeks of rumors (and updates on his Crossfit training and Orange Theory (whatever the hell that is)), Manny Ramirez’s return to baseball is official – he has signed with the Kochi Fighting Dogs in Japan:
Manny Ramirez has signed with the Kochi Fighting Dogs of Japan. Stay hot, 2017. https://t.co/32ZwoMjVX7 pic.twitter.com/Leixr3Kj0I
— 120 Sports (@120Sports) January 9, 2017
Although he’s previously played in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (back in 2013), his new league in Japan is not exactly their highest, most competitive level. It includes just four teams and has no connection to more challenging/popular Nippon Professional Baseball (where guys like Ichiro Suzuki and Masahiro Tanaka played).
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But hey, is there any way to stop someone like Manny Ramirez from being himself and doing what he wants? After all, Manny’s been Manny since literally his first hit in the Major Leagues – you know, the one he thought he hit out of the park, but actually landed a bit short of that:
Not So Fast: Manny Ramirez Thought His First Major League Hit Was a Homer … It Was Nothttps://t.co/o3g9kP3Cbi pic.twitter.com/36vCPTuFOh
— Baseball is Fun (@flippingbats) January 4, 2017
What makes Manny’s return especially interesting is that the 44-year-old 12x Major League All-Star, 9x Silver Slugger, and 2x Hank Aaron Award winner is currently on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time. To be sure, his history/connection to performance enhancing will likely keep him out of Cooperstown for now, but it’s at least possible that an active Hall of Hamer could still be playing the game.
So welcome back, Manny. We can’t wait to see what you can do.