The holiday season is upon us. So that means bonding with family and friends, exchanging gifts, shopping, changes in the weather, and holiday vacations are on everyone’s schedules. It also means that baseball’s “Hot Stove” season is in effect. With Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings set to commence, teams are very busy looking over their rosters, examining their farm systems, exploring potential trades, but most importantly, scouting the talent rich free agent market. Free agency is the biggest part of baseball’s offseason, and there are plenty of Latino players looking for new teams for 2016.
With that being said, here are the top five Latino free agents heading into the 2016 season…
5. Alexei Ramirez
“The Cuban Missile” as he’s become known has only played for one team his entire career. Since being signed by the White Sox out of the once isolated island nation in 2008, Ramirez has had somewhat of an up and down career. In 2015 the 34-year-old had a .249 batting average with 10 home runs and 62 runs batted in. His lifetime numbers are similar with a .273 average to go with 109 career homers, 542 RBI’s and a .310 career on base percentage. Ramirez tends to struggle offensively in colder weather, especially in April and late September.
His highest numbers come during the summer months. He can also be error prone on defense. Perhaps signing with a team in a warmer climate could help him pick up those offensive numbers. Aside from his defensive shortcomings, Ramirez has solid speed and range and can track down most ground balls and line drives.