MLB’s 2004 World Series MVP Manny Ramirez, 47, is seeking a baseball comeback as he hopes to play in China.
Manny Ramirez wants to make a baseball comeback and is willing to play in China.
“My goal for 2020, is to find a roster spot in the CPBL (Chinese Professional Baseball League),” Ramirez told the Taiwan Times. “I have been itching to get back in the batter’s box and be able to compete again…if I was given the opportunity to come in an organization as a player-coach, it would do great things for the organization and the league.”
The former MLB slugger is best known for his time with the Boston Red Sox. There, he was a two-time World Series champion winning in 2004 and 2007. In 2004, Ramirez was the World Series MVP and led the league in home runs with 43.
The 12-time MLB All Star is also a member of the MLB’s 500 home run club with 555 career homers. His MLB career spanned from 1993 with the Cleveland Indians until 2011 with the Tampa Bay Rays. He also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (2008-10) and played in 24 games for the Chicago White Sox in 2010.
Ramirez had reminisced about his career on Monday via Instagram. There, he posted a pictured alongside his wife and two kids at Fenway Park. He captioned the post citing lyrics to the Seventh Inning Stretch “take me out to the ball game, take me out to the crowd.”
While the nine-time Silver Slugger last played in the MLB in 2011, he did make a comeback in 2013 as a player in the CPBL. There, he played for the EDA Rhinos in Taiwan.
”I felt like a kid at the candy store…the people of Taiwan treated me like baseball-royalty,” Ramirez told the Taiwan Times.
Even though Ramirez will turn 48 on May 30, he is still determined to make a comeback. He stated his quarantine activities include reading the Bible, raising his three kids and streaming CPBL games. He’s also found ways to train.
“I have also been sneaking around the local hitting cages in my area, and trying to learn everything I can about the swing and how I can teach hitters more efficiently,” Ramirez told Taiwan Times. “I can never get enough of the game. To this day, I still mix in swinging a bat in my daily routine.
“I am positive an opportunity will arise, God willing.”