MLB podcaster believes Dominican Republic should make the most out of Manny Ramirez in 2023 WBC
Outfielder Starling Marte may find his position with the Dominican World Baseball Classic team in jeopardy after the resurgence of Manny Ramirez. Although Ramirez has not played a major league game in over a decade, the right-handed slugger looks ready for a return to professional baseball.
In a recent Tweet by MLB insider Hector Gomez, Ramirez can be seen rocketing a pitch in the batting cage. The Tweet read, "Manny Ramirez says he can still play."
This led to fans all over the globe debating Manny's health and the possibility of an unlikely return. The idea of Manny Ramirez (now 50 years old) replacing Starling Marte in the outfield is highly unlikely. Although Ramirez's swing looks smooth, fans may want to take Carrabis' comments with a pinch of salt.
Honestly, no disrespect to Starling Marte, but the Dominican WBC team should seriously consider putting Manny in left field. That would be the scariest baseball team ever assembled. twitter.com/hgomez27/statu…
MLB podcaster Jared Carrabis added his two cents to the video shortly after its release:
"Honestly, no disrespect to Starling Marte, but the Dominican WBC team should seriously consider putting Manny in left field. That would be the scariest baseball team ever assembled." - Jared Carrabis
The idea of Manny Ramirez returning for one final hurrah is romantic for the baseball aficionado. He was a key part of the Boston Red Sox's 2004 championship-winning side that broke the Curse of the Bambino. He is a 12-time All-Star, a nine-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and a two-time Hank Aaron Award winner.
Marte, however, has proven himself to be one of MLB's star players over the past few seasons. In 118 games last season with the New York Mets, Marte slashed .292/.347/.468. During that stretch, he recorded 16 home runs and 63 RBIs. That was enough to earn a selection for the 2022 All-Star Game.
New York Mets outfielder Starling Marte was selected to his second All-Star Game in 2022
Along with Marte, the Dominican team will consist of All-Stars Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Jose Ramirez. The team has a plethora of talent and it is hard to find any weaknesses in the lineup.
Just an outrageous team. https://t.co/XIU0gOsP9Q
The 2023 World Baseball Classic is set to take place in March and will be jointly hosted between Japan, Taiwan, and the United States. The Dominican Baseball team is stacked with talent and will most likely be considered one of the favorites for the tournament.