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Who is a better baseball shortstop: Hanley Ramirez or Jose Reyes?

Results so far:

Ramirez		51%	114 votes	Total: 223 votes
Reyes		49%	109 votes	Total: 223 votes

Ramirez

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Right now there is a surplus of great shortstops in baseball. Ranging from Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes, to Derek Jeter and Jimmy Rollins. There are some great shortstops in the league at the moment, some of which could become some of the best to ever play the game. The two best shortstops in the league happen to be the subjects of this topic, Hanley Ramirez and Jose Reyes. Who is better you ask. Hanley Ramirez is and I'm going to tell you why.

Hanley Ramirez is not only the better shortstop but he is also the better overall player. No offense to Jose who I must say is an amazing and fun player to watch. He unfortunately is being compared to maybe one of the top five players in Major League Baseball. For this comparison I will analyze each part of their game and tell you who is superior. Before I do that I have to say that both of these players are what are referred to as five-tool players. These are the very elite players that can hit for average and power, possess the speed to steal bases, excel in the field, and can gun down a runner with a strong arm.

First off we will compare the two superstars' hitting ability, first is batting average. As of July 1,2008 Jose is the owner of a .292 average. This unfortunately is four points lower than Hanley's .296 batting average. It is close but four points is four points, edge goes to Ramirez. Next let's talk about power. Ramirez wins this by a land slide while jacking 19 home runs and driving in 36 runs. This is being compared to Reyes who has 9 home runs and has driven in 34 runs, edge once again goes to Ramirez. For those of you who haven't been keeping track Hanley is leading 2-0 in the categories so far.

Let's move on to the speed factor where Reyes takes the cake over just about everyone. Jose Reyes is known league wide for his blazing speed and ability to swipe a base at will. Jose also wins this category by the numbers. Jose has stolen 28 bases while being caught 8 times while Hanley has stolen 20 and being caught 5 times. Jose has closed the gap and now is only down 2 categories to 1.

Next is the fielding. Jose owns the better fielding percentage but before you think he wins this category there is more. Jose owns a better fielding percentage while having played in one less game and having 18 fewer chances. Ramirez also has 28 more putouts and 8 more double plays turned. After taking other statistics into consideration it would appear Ramirez is also the superior fielder. Ramirez increases his lead to 3-1 winning this little competition of statistics.

Statistic s however are not everything. Ramirez not only has better statistics he also has been a very clutch player. In the last week alone he has had two game tying home runs in the bottom of the ninth inning. This feat has only been done one other time in Major League history. Not only is Mr. Ramirez clutch but he is doing this for what has been a terrible team for years in between championships. Jose has had the luxury of playing with some of the best players. For Hanley to even have the motivation to play so well while knowing his team is probably not going to win is great in itself. Ramirez wins this comparison when you look not only at statistics but being clutch and having the desire to keep playing even when his team is bad. Jose Reyes is a great player but he has been matched up against the best shortstop in the game today.

These stats however only represent the current season. We cannot possibly decide whether one player is better than another by one year. Most every player has a down year where they play below what they are capable of. In their careers the power still goes to Ramirez who has 65 career home runs and 176 runs batted in compared to Reyes who has 54 home runs and 276 runs batted in. These statistics also come while Reyes has played in 3 full seasons and 2 with limited playing time and including this year. Ramirez has only played in 2 full seasons and 1 with limited playing time and including this year. Ramirez also enjoys a lifetime .308 batting average compared to Reyes' .285 which is considerably lower, giving him the edge in the hitting department.

Reyes still has the advantage in the speed department with 262 stolen bases to Hanley's 122. Reyes in his career has been better defensively but this can be attributed to experience. In the end they are about even career wise with Jose playing longer. However this year Ramirez crushes Reyes and just about everyone else with his statistics and clutch performances. With past statistics and this years statistics Hanley Ramirez proves he is the better shortstop than Jose Reyes.

Learn more about this author, Ben Burrows.
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Reyes

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by Kurt Erickson

When it comes to elite shortstops in MLB, Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez are the first two that come to mind. Of course it is an arguable point, but Jose Reyes is the clear choice as the superior shortstop. Stats are important, don't get me wrong, but before we talk about the stats, I'm going to talk a little about why Jose Reyes is a better shortstop than Ramirez, without mentioning their stats. Jose Reyes is flat out the most electrifying athlete in MLB. He is everything you could ever want in a baseball player at any position. He is fun to watch, noticeably passionate about the game, has a contagious smile, plays hard every game, etc. Now you may be thinking these factors do not much matter, but they do. Also, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Hanley Ramirez does not have any of these characteristics, he just doesn't go about the game of baseball the way Reyes does. Reyes overall personality and the way his teammates feed off of his excitement is a key factor to the success of Jose Reyes himself, and the Mets as a team.

Now, on to the fun part, stats! Since we are comparing the shortstop position, we need to look at the most important stats that shortstops need to have to contribute to the game of baseball. There is not just one stat that is the clear cut pivotal stat, however, there are a few stats that must be keyed in on. Since both players are lead off hitters, we must also take account of what the players role is on the team and how they contribute to helping win games. The key stats to look at are Batting average, Stolen bases and Errors committed defensively. I will base the numbers off of this season so far, but unfortunately will only be able to make educated and reasonable predictions for where the two will be at the end of the year.

We'll start out with Batting average. Yes, Ramirez' average of .342 is considerably higher than Reyes' .303, but you have to assume that Ramirez will not manage that BA for the remainder of the season, realistically dropping somewhere in the .315 area. On the other hand, Reyes has been on base 196 times this year, while Ramirez has been on 188. In the end, the two will be very close in BA, and will also be very close in hits, so it's hard to give a clear cut winner in that category until the year is done.

Not only is BA average important, but stolen bases and the ability to make things happen on the base paths is a major factor as well. With that said, Jose Reyes is unarguably the favorite in that regard. As a lead off hitter, the job is to get on base and make things happen to give your team the best chance to win. Jose Reyes has much more speed and base running ability than Ramirez. Right now, Reyes has 53 stolen bases, while Ramirez has only 32. To put that in perspective over this entire season, Reyes is looking at around 73 stolen bases, and Ramirez at about 52. That is a wide range of difference for a very important stat. Being able to practically steal at will on the other opponent is such a rare skill that immediately puts the player in scoring position for his teammates to hit in.

Finally, a defensive stat that is very important for shortstops is not committing errors. The shortstop position is the most important infield position as far as defense goes, the shortstop must be solid for the team to be successful. Jose Reyes has committed just 8 errors so far, and has a .982 Fielding percentage, while Ramirez has committed 16 errors with a .962 Fielding percentage.

After analyzing the two players, it is very clear that both are equally superstar shortstops that deserve to be recognized as the best among the game. The topic is obviously up for debate and can easily be argued upon, but based on the factual information given, Reyes has the slight edge over Hanley Ramirez because he is a better lead off hitter that gets on base, he can make more things happen on the base paths, resulting in more opportunities, and he is a more solid fielder than Ramirez.

Learn more about this author, Kurt Erickson.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

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