Manny Ramirez vs. Alex Rodriguez
Is the Red Sox Slugger Better Than the Yankees A-Rod?
The two best hitters of the last decade have almost identical statistics.
They are loved. They are hated. They are celebrated, and they are despised. They also happen to be two of the greatest hitters of all time. "They" are Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez, and here is a comparison of their career statistics and achievements. You can decide who is better.
The Statistical Comparison
Ramirez and Rodriguez have remarkably similar numbers. A-Rod has played in 1,904 games and has 7,350 at-bats in his fourteen year career. Manny has played in 1,950 games and has 7,058 at-bats. Here are their respective statistics (both on a raw numbers and a per at-bat basis), and you might be a little surprised to see that Manny has the edge in the following categories.
Batting Average: Manny's career average is .313; A-Rod's is .306.
On-Base Percentage: Manny's Slugging Average is .409; A-Rod's is .389.
Slugging Percentage: Manny's OBP is .583; A-Rod's is .578.
On Base Plus Slugging (OPS): This is the statistic that stat legend Bill James says is the most telling of a slugger's value to a team, and Manny leads A-Rod in it by 1.001 to .967.
Runs Batted In: Manny has 1,604 RBI. Rodriguez has 1,524. Manny drives in a run once every 4.40 at-bats while Rodriguez picks up an RBI once every 4.89 at-bats.
Doubles: Manny has 471 two-base hits so far, while Alex has just 395 doubles. Ramirez doubles once every 14.0 at bats, and A-Rod hits a two-bagger once every 18.6 at-bats.
Base on Balls: Manny has the better eye. He's collected 1,125 walks in his career, which equals one per every 7.3 plate appearances. Rodriguez? He's got 915 walks, or one every 9.1 plate appearances.
On the other hand, A-Rod tops Manny in defensive ability (obviously) and base-running skill (265 stolen bases to 34 for Manny), and in the following hitting departments:
Home Runs: A-Rod leads in total home runs (518 to 490), and has the better rate of at-bats per home run. Manny hits a dinger every 14.40 AB and Rodriguez hits a long ball once every 14.18 at-bats.
Triples: While neither guy is a threat to break Sam Crawford's all-time record of 309 triples, Alex does hold a slight lead over Manny in career triples by a 24 to 17 margin.
The Awards Comparison
MVP: Alex Rodriguez has won two American League MVP awards (2003 and 2005), and is the favorite to win a third trophy when the votes are tallied in the first week of November, 2007. Manny has never won the prize, but has finished in the top 10 in voting eight times (A-Rod has seven Top 10s).
Gold Gloves: A-Rod has two; Manny has none.
Silver Sluggers: Manny's won nine. A-Rod's got eight.
Hank Aaron Awards: Rodriguez has three (2001-2003). Manny has two (2001 & 2004).
World Series MVP: Manny won it in 2004. Rodriguez has yet to appear in a World Series.
The Post-season Comparison
Rodriguez gets pilloried in the press for his October futility, while Manny is praised as one of the best playoff hitters of all time. Although Manny is the all-time leader in post-season home runs with 24, and ranks third with 60 RBI, the two players' numbers on a per at-bat basis are closer than a lot of fans might think.
Postseason Batting Average: A-Rod leads Manny .279 to .271.
At-Bats per Home Run: Manny has homered once every 14 at-bats in his post-season career. A-Rod hits one every 21 at-bats.
At-Bats per RBI: A-Rod drives in a run once every 8.6 at-bats. Manny picks up an RBI once every 5.5 at-bats.
Of course, Manny leads Alex in the biggest category of them all. He's got a World Series ring on his finger.
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