Aramis Ramirez

Injuries limited Ramirez to 92 games and sapped his power last season, as he finished with his second lowest slugging percentage in a season since 2003. Ramirez should be healthy to begin 2014 however, and he figures to hit out of the cleanup spot in the order. Don’t be surprised if the Brewers opt to sit him more often than most regulars in order to keep him in the lineup all season.

Ramirez ventured north to Milwaukee last season after spending the previous nine seasons with the Cubs, and he appeared to really enjoy his new surroundings, finishing with a .901 OPS, his best mark over a full season since 2007. Ramirez will turn 35 this season, but he will again bat behind Ryan Braun in the order, which will give him his fair share of opportunities to knock in 100 runs again.

After a slow April and May, Ramirez was one of the better hitters in baseball for the season's final four months, posting a .315/.368/.566 line in 371 at-bats. Coming off an injury-marred 2010, Ramirez's resurgence was a reassuring sign that the 34-year-old is not in serious decline. Ramirez also has excellent contact skills for a power hitter, enabling him to hit for average. The one knock on Ramirez is durability - he's played more than 135 games just twice in the last five years, but he's healthy at press time and coming off a 149-game season. Ramirez signed a three-year deal with the Brewers this offseason, and while Miller Park has been somewhat more homer friendly, Ramirez's home/road splits in Chicago showed he benefited significantly from hitting at Wrigley.

After an abysmal start while playing through a thumb injury, Ramirez had a strong final four months of the season, finishing with 25 homers for the sixth time in seven years. Ramirez also struck out more than usual, but half of his 90 strikeouts were in the first two months when he was hurt. In short, from the time he returned in mid-June through the end of the year, Ramirez's power, batting average (.285) and contact skills were all intact. Ramirez remains an injury risk - the last time he played 150 games was 2006 - but at 32, the hitting skills are still there.

There's no doubt about the skill set here - Ramirez is the rare slugger who makes good contact and hits for average as well as power. But Ramirez never seems to stay healthy, and last year was no exception as he missed half the season after dislocating his shoulder while fielding a ground ball. It looked initially like Ramirez might need offseason surgery, but his power returned in the second half, and he should be okay, albeit not risk-free, heading into spring training.

Last year, Ramirez did what he always does - hit for power and a solid average, while missing at least 10 games. Ramirez hit for a little less power than usual in 2008, and he struck out more, but he also walked a good deal more and boosted his on-base percentage as a result. Assuming the change in skill set is for real (more walks, lower contact rate), it probably hurts his value a little as he'll lose some batting average and RBI, but increase his runs scored.

Ramirez seems to fight through nagging injuries almost every season, last year's being a balky knee and a sore wrist. As a result, he played just 132 games. On a prorated basis, Ramirez is one of the better all-around hitters in baseball, with excellent contact skills and big-time power. He doesn't draw a lot of walks, which limits his on-base percentage, but from a fantasy perspective, that just means more opportunities for home runs and RBI. There aren't a lot of holes in this skill set, unless you count health as a skill.

An unlucky hit rate was responsible for Ramirez's slow start, but by season's end he had the numbers that were projected for him in the preseason. He also avoided the nagging groin and quad injuries that had plagued him in the past, playing 157 games for only the third time in six full seasons. Ramirez makes excellent contact for a power hitter, and he doesn't walk much, meaning he's a good bet for big RBI totals by putting so many balls in play. Ramirez, who signed a five-year, $73 million deal this offseason, will turn 29 in June, so he should have no problem putting up big numbers again so long as he stays healthy.

Playing with a groin injury from 2004 that lingered into 2005, Ramirez continued to hit for average and power before an August quad injury ended his season. We're not sure why Ramirez is so prone to muscle pulls, but it's a concern especially since the Cubs can't move him across the diamond to first base with Derrek Lee around. Assuming Ramirez is healthy (something to keep an eye on this spring), there's no reason he shouldn't hit for power and average again in 2006 as he's in the prime off his career and he had 31 homers a year ago in just 463 at-bats. Moreover, Ramirez doesn't walk or strike out much, so he gets more at-bats and balls in play per game than the Adam Dunns and Bobby Abreus. While that might not be in the best interest of the Cubs, it's absolutely in the best interest of your roto team because it means more opportunities for home runs and RBI.

Ramirez' first full season with the Cubs was an unmitigated success. He cut down on his strikeouts dramatically and went .318/.373/.578 despite playing the entire second half with a strained groin. He's expected to be healthy for spring training and is entering his prime.

Ramirez hasn’t quite lived up to his billing after a big season in 2001 at the age of 23, but after suffering through a horrible 2002 while playing on a bum ankle, 2003 was a step in the right direction. His plate discipline could use some improvement (42/99 BB/K ratio), but it's not as if he's allergic to the base on balls. Ramirez will be the Cubs starting third baseman again in 2004, and considering that he'll be just 26 next June, you can expect his numbers to improve a little bit as he approaches the prime of his career.

Ramirez started 2002 like he ended 2001 — on fire — then injured his ankle charging the mound after Ben Sheets hit him with a pitch. Basically forbidden from going on the disabled list by Lloyd McClendon, he proceeded to have an awful season, playing the rest of the year on a bum ankle when what he needed was a month on crutches. McClendon should have been fired for his handling of Ramirez, who, allowed to rest and rehab over the winter, should bounce back to be a solid fantasy third baseman. There are few better RBI spots than hitting behind Brian Giles.