Happy Birthday, Hanley! – Beckett Pricing Insider
Today, Hanley Ramirez is celebrating his 35th birthday. Ramirez, who is currently playing for the Tigres de Licey in the Dominican Winter League, is trying to earn his way back onto a Major League team roster after being let go by the Red Sox back in May.
Ramirez, who is known for his high batting average, was discovered at an early age in his native Dominican Republic. In 2000, a 16-year-old Ramirez signed a free agent deal with the Red Sox. By the end of 2005, he would make his Major League debut. Despite just getting two at-bats and striking out both times, Ramirez was a highly regarded talent. After that season, Ramirez was traded to the Miami Marlins as part of a deal that brought Josh Beckett to Boston.
Ramirez would go on to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award in 2006 before making three straight All-Star Games from 2008 to 2010. In 2012, Ramirez was traded to the Dodgers just before the trade deadline and would help them make the playoffs in both 2013 and 2014.
After the 2014 season he would return to Boston as a free agent. Due to a decline in his already poor defense, he was moved to the outfield and then first base.
Unfortunately, due to issues with aging, injuries and an expensive contract ($22.75 Million) the Red Sox released the struggling Ramirez last season. This is why we see him, a veteran, battling it out this offseason in the Dominican League, trying to show MLB teams that he can still contribute.
Ramirez has an abundance of cards out there with almost 7,500 in the Beckett Database. Over 1,000 of those cards are autographed and more than 1,500 with memorabilia.
Here are a few recent sales.
2003 Bowman Chrome Refractors Hanley Ramirez BGS 9.5/10
His Bowman Chrome “1st Year Card” is a big one among collectors, especially since it has an on-card autograph. This particular card is the Refractor parallel which had a print run of just 500. Graded a BGS 9.5 Gem Mint, this card was a great deal for the buyer at just over $25 after shipping.
2013 Topps Museum Collection Momentous Material Jumbo Relic Autographs Hanley Ramirez 10/10
This one is interesting because he is listed as a member of the Dodgers but the piece of memorabilia is from a Miami Marlins jersey.
2016 Topps Variations Hanley Ramirez #321
This one is an image variation short print from the 2016 Topps Baseball. These “Super Short Prints” are rare, only popping up in 1:250 hobby jumbo packs and 1:349 for retail packs. This version of Ramirez’s card shows him in his warm-up pullover wearing his glove while the normal version he is batting. This copy went for just about $80.
I would love to see a story on the 2013 Opening Day Prince Fielder “Hole” Card, just how rare it is and a estimated value……Errors are seldom addressed and the prices are hard to gauge when something is so rare, is it junk or gold?? There are so many instances of this out there and nobody has the answers