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Disclaimer: I am well aware that Manny Ramirez tested positive numerous times for steroids during his MLB career and this is the primary reason why he is currently not in the Baseball Hall of Fame. With all of this background in mind, this head-to-head between Vladimir Guerrero and Manny Ramirez is meant to compare them based solely on their career numbers and achievements without judgment on Ramirez’s steroid use during his career.
The end of the 2011 MLB season marked the last time that baseball fans would see two of the greatest Dominican-born players ever suit up for a major league game – for nearly two decades apiece, Vladimir Guerrero and Manny Ramirez were two of the game’s best sluggers. Moreover, they were among the unique characters in the game, from Guerrero’s penchant for swinging at anything to Ramirez’s personality of “Manny being Manny”. Even though Ramirez’s legacy has been tarnished by a number of positive steroid tests, he and Guerrero still sit at or near the top of most career hitting categories among their countrymen, thus making this an apt comparison:
Who was better – Vladimir Guerrero or Manny Ramirez?
The Beginning
While they were both native sons of the Dominican Republic, Guerrero and Ramirez had different upbringings and development paths, particularly as teenagers, en route to making their major league debuts.
Born and raised in his native country as one of nine kids (his older brother Wilton also played in the major leagues), Guerrero played baseball on the island’s dirt fields as youngster and was signed as an amateur free agent by the then-Montreal Expos as an 18-year-old in 1993. Following a few minor league seasons, he made his big league debut as a September call-up in 1996 and would become a full-time player in 1997, finishing sixth for NL Rookie of the Year by hitting .302 with 11 home runs, 40 runs batted in, 44 runs scored, a .350 on-base percentage, and a .483 slugging percentage, good for a 117 OPS+ (which measures on-base percentage plus slugging vs. a league-wide average set at 100).
Also of Dominican descent, Ramirez grew up playing baseball in his native country until moving at age 13 to New York City; interestingly, even though he lived close to Yankee Stadium, Ramirez was actually a Toronto Blue Jays fan due to the team’s Dominican stars in George Bell and Tony Fernandez. While playing baseball for George Washington High School, he was a 3x All-City selection and named New York City Public School Player of the Year as a senior, though did not actually graduate high school. Instead, he was drafted 13th overall in the 1991 MLB Draft by the Cleveland Indians and was a star at various minor league levels before earning a September call-up in 1993 (he hit his first career home run at hometown Yankee Stadium). As an official rookie in 1994, Ramirez batted .269 with 17 home runs, 60 runs batted in, 51 runs scored, a .357 on-base percentage, and a .521 slugging percentage (125 OPS+) to finish as runner-up for AL Rookie of the Year.
Career Comparison
Throughout the late 1990s and 2000s, Guerrero and Ramirez were two of the most consistently great sluggers year in and year out, though as mentioned, the latter’s career is now tainted by a couple of steroids-related suspensions.
With a reputation for being one of the best “bad ball” hitters since Roberto Clemente, Guerrero quickly emerged as a star and had a breakout campaign in his second season in 1998: .324 batting average with 38 home runs, 109 runs batted in, 108 runs scored, a .371 on-base percentage, and a .589 slugging percentage (150 OPS+). Starting in 1999 (.316 with 42 home runs, a career-high 131 runs batted in, and 102 runs scored), he made four straight All-Star teams and won three Silver Sluggers by hitting .300+ each year with at least 30 home runs, 100 runs batted in, and 100 runs scored. In 2000, Guerrero batted a career-high .345 with 44 home runs, 123 runs batted in, 101 runs scored, a .410 on-base percentage, and a career-high .664 slugging percentage (162 OPS+) to finish sixth for NL MVP. Though not a prolific runner for most of his career, Guerrero did post two straight 30-30 seasons (30 home runs and 30 stolen bases) in 2001 and 2002, capped off by a scintillating 2002 season where he nearly became just the fourth player in MLB history with a 40-40 season (after Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez): .336 batting average with a league-high and career-high 206 hits, 39 home runs, 111 runs batted in, 106 runs scored, 40 stolen bases, a .417 on-base percentage, and a .593 slugging percentage, good for a 160 OPS+ and a fourth-place MVP finish. As an encore, though he was limited by back injuries to 112 games in 2003, Guerrero still hit .330 with a career-high .426 on-base percentage and even achieved the cycle in a game.
As a free agent in 2003, Guerrero signed with the Anaheim Angels, leaving Montreal as the team’s career leader for batting average, home runs, and slugging percentage. Despite moving from the NL to the AL, he continued his strong play, earning All-Star and Silver Slugger honors in each of his first four years with the Angels while batting .300+ with 25+ home runs and 100+ runs batted in and finishing top-10 for MVP. Most notably, in his first year with the team in 2004, he won AL MVP on the strength of a .337 batting average, 39 home runs, 126 runs batted in, a career-high 124 runs scored, a .391 on-base percentage, and a .598 slugging percentage (157 OPS+). From there, Guerrero finished third in the MVP race on two separate occasions:
- 2005: .317 batting average with 32 home runs, 108 runs batted in, 95 runs scored, a .394 on-base percentage, and a .565 slugging percentage (154 OPS+); became the 12th player in league history to hit his 300th career home run before the age of 30
- 2007: .324 batting average with 27 home runs, 125 runs batted in, 89 runs scored, a .403 on-base percentage, and a .547 slugging percentage (147 OPS+); final All-Star season with the Angels
Entering his mid-30s, age and injuries began to catch up to Guerrero, though he still hit .303 with 27 dingers and 91 runs batted in for the 2008 season. Upon moving to designated hitter (DH) in 2009, he achieved a couple of career milestones: 400 career home runs and just the fourth player ever with 1,000 hits in both the AL and the NL (after Frank Robinson, Dave Winfield, and Fred McGriff). Once again a free agent in 2009, he signed with the Texas Rangers and turned back the clock with a final All-Star and Silver Slugger year, hitting .300 with 29 home runs, 115 runs batted in, 83 runs scored, a .345 on-base percentage, and a .496 slugging percentage (119 OPS+). Nevertheless, he was on the move after the season, this time joining the Baltimore Orioles, where he had a career-worst year, batting “only” .290 with 13 home runs and 63 runs batted in. Though Guerrero signed with the Blue Jays on a minor league deal (the team that would later draft and develop his son), he never made it to the majors again; following brief stints in both the Dominican Professional Baseball League and the Atlantic League, he signed a one-day contract to retire as an Angel in 2014. At the time of his last major league game, Guerrero’s 2,590 career hits were tops among Dominican-born players, though he was surpassed by Adrian Beltre in 2014.
Like Guerrero, Ramirez established himself as a bona fide superstar early on, batting .308 with 31 home runs, 107 runs batted in, 85 runs scored, a .402 on-base percentage, and a .558 slugging percentage (147 OPS+) in 1995 to earn his first All-Star selection and first Silver Slugger. This was followed by a near-identical 1996 campaign with the Indians before raising his batting average to .328 in 1997, but with “only” 26 home runs and 88 runs batted in. Nevertheless, starting in 1998 (.294 with a career-best 45 home runs, 145 runs batted in, 108 runs scored, a .377 on-base percentage, and a .599 slugging percentage for a 146 OPS+ and sixth-place MVP finish), Ramirez would reel off a streak of 11 straight All-Star seasons, including nine straight years of hitting .290+ with 30+ home runs and 100+ runs batted, eight straight Silver Sluggers, and nine top-10 MVP finishes (though no wins). Of particular note, in 1999, he hit .333 with 44 home runs, a league-leading and career-best 165 runs batted in, a career-high 131 runs scored, a .442 on-base percentage, and a league-best .663 slugging percentage (174 OPS+) to finish third for MVP and win his second career Silver Slugger. Following another monster year in 2000 during which he hit a career-high .351 with 38 home runs and 122 runs batted in, Ramirez became a free agent and signed a massive deal to join the Boston Red Sox.
Manny continued to rake during the 2000s while hitting in the heart of the Red Sox lineup alongside fellow slugger David Ortiz – in his first year in Boston, he hit .306 with 41 home runs, 125 runs batted in, 93 runs scored, a .405 on-base percentage, and a .609 slugging percentage, good for a 162 OPS+ and a ninth-place for MVP. The next year, he won the only batting title of his career by hitting .349 and also leading the league with a .450 on-base percentage; however, the Red Sox tried to move Ramirez after the season to pursue Alex Rodriguez and it was revealed many years later that he had tested positive for steroids during this time. Nevertheless, in the middle of the decade, Ramirez had arguably his two most productive seasons in Boston, finishing third for MVP in 2004 (.308 with a league-high 43 home runs, 130 runs batted in, 108 runs scored, a .397 on-base percentage, and a league-best .613 slugging percentage (152 OPS+); he and Ortiz were the first duo to hit .300+ with 40+ home runs and 100+ runs batted since Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig) and fourth in 2005 (.292 with 45 home runs, 144 runs batted in, 112 runs scored a .388 on-base percentage, and a .594 slugging percentage (153 OPS+)). Despite his powerful bat, however, Ramirez eventually wore out his welcome with the Red Sox and in the midst of another strong season in 2008, he was traded at the deadline to the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of a three-team deal also involving the Pittsburgh Pirates – across Boston and Los Angeles, he still managed a .332 batting average with 37 home runs, 121 runs batted in, 102 runs scored, a .430 on-base percentage, and a .601 slugging percentage (166 OPS+) for a final All-Star selection and a fourth-place NL MVP showing; moreover, Ramirez hit his 500th home run while still with Boston, joining Ted Williams and Jimmie Foxx as the only players to do so in a Red Sox uniform.
While the 2009 season started on a high note for Ramirez, he was suspended 50 games for steroid usage and it was at this point that his previous positive test also came out. Though he came back to play 66 games with the Dodgers in 2010, he was eventually waived and signed for the rest of the year with the Chicago White Sox. However, following a brief stint of just five games with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011, he immediately retired from MLB at age 39 with another positive steroid test looming. Since then, Ramirez has had various stints in the Oakland Athletics, Rangers, and Chicago Cubs minor league systems, in the Dominican Professional Baseball League, in the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan, and in the Japanese Shikoku Island League Plus, but has not had another MLB at-bat.
Despite a three-year gap in number of seasons played and roughly one season’s worth of additional games for Ramirez, he and Guerrero have a similar number of career at-bats; while Guerrero managed 16 additional hits with a higher batting average and stole more bases, otherwise Ramirez’s numbers are better across the board, both for counting statistics and ratios. Likewise, on a seasonal basis, Guerrero posted more .300+ seasons (13 vs. 11), but Ramirez has the edge in 30+ and 40+ home runs years (12 to 8 and 5 to 2, respectively) and years with 100+ runs batted in (12 vs. 10), with both players scoring 100+ runs 6x. This also translated into more All-Star selections (12x vs. 9x) and Silver Sluggers (9x vs. 8x) plus a batting title for Ramirez, though Guerrero has the one MVP award to his name; interestingly, even though he was recognized for his cannon arm, Guerrero never won a Gold Glove. As further testament to objectively a more productive career, Ramirez’s career Wins Above Replacement (WAR) outpaces Guerrero’s total by around 10 (69.3 to 59.5). However, whereas Guerrero was selected to Cooperstown in 2018, Ramirez remains on the outside looking in, no doubt due to being a repeat steroid offender.
Regular Season Statistics
| Vladimir Guerrero | Player | Manny Ramirez |
| 16 (1996-2011) | Seasons | 19 (1993-2011) |
| 2,147 | Games Played | 2,302 |
| 8,155 | At-Bats | 8,244 |
| 2,590 | Hits | 2,574 |
| 1,328 | Runs | 1,544 |
| 449 | Home Runs | 555 |
| 1,496 | Runs Batted In | 1,831 |
| 737 | Walks | 1,329 |
| 181 | Stolen Bases | 38 |
| .318 | Batting Average | .312 |
| .379 | On-Base Percentage | .411 |
| .553 | Slugging Percentage | .585 |
| 140 | OPS+ | 154 |
| 59.5 | Wins Above Replacement | 69.3 |
| 9x | All-Star Games | 12x |
| 1x | MVP | – |
| – | World Series Titles | 2x |
| 8x Silver Slugger | Other Awards | 1x Batting Title, 9x Silver Slugger, 1x World Series MVP |
| 2018 | Hall of Fame Induction | – |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
In addition to the regular season numbers and accolades, Guerrero and Ramirez both saw significant postseason action and played in the World Series, though only Manny achieved the pinnacle of winning a championship (multiple titles, in fact).
While Guerrero never made the playoffs with the Expos, he did have his fair share of postseason success in the AL West. During his time with the Angels, he made five playoff trips, including ALCS appearances in both 2005 and 2009; memorably, in 2009, he batted .400 in an ALDS win over the Red Sox before hitting .370 in the ALCS with a home run and 5 runs batted in during a loss to the New York Yankees. Later, in his lone season with the Rangers, Texas made it all the way to the World Series before falling to the San Francisco Giants in five games – despite having a respectable ALDS and ALCS, Guerrero struggled mightily in the World Series, batting a paltry .071 (1 hit in 14 at-bats).
In 11 total postseason trips across his stints in Cleveland, Boston, and Los Angeles, Ramirez was no stranger to the World Series. During his early years with the Indians, he made two World Series trips, but lost both times and struggled at the plate – a six-game loss to the Atlanta Braves in 1995 (.222 batting average) and a heartbreaking seven-game defeat to the upstart Florida Marlins in 1997 (hitting a paltry .154). However, his fortunes turned in Boston – in 2004, after hitting .385 in the ALDS and .300 in the ALCS vs. the archrival Yankees, Ramirez won World Series MVP by batting .412 (7 hits in 17 at-bats) with a home run and 4 runs batted in during a sweep of Albert Pujols and the St. Louis Cardinals to give Boston its first title in 86 years. Three years later in 2007, he hit .375 in the ALDS and .409 in the ALCS with a combined 4 home runs and 14 runs batted in before cooling off to a .250 average in the World Series (4 hits in 16 at-bats) as the Red Sox swept the Colorado Rockies for another championship.
Playoff Statistics
| Vladimir Guerrero | Player | Manny Ramirez |
| 44 | Games Played | 111 |
| 171 | At-Bats | 410 |
| 45 | Hits | 117 |
| 17 | Runs | 67 |
| 2 | Home Runs | 29 |
| 20 | Runs Batted In | 78 |
| 14 | Walks | 72 |
| 2 | Stolen Bases | 1 |
| .263 | Batting Average | .285 |
| .324 | On-Base Percentage | .394 |
| .339 | Slugging Percentage | .544 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; past their prime, Guerrero and Ramirez both not only bounced around with a couple of MLB teams, but even played in other professional leagues before finally calling it a career. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years.
Decade of Dominance
| Vladimir Guerrero | Player | Manny Ramirez |
| 1998-2007 | Decade of Dominance | 1998-2006, 2008 |
| 1,508 | Games Played | 1,418 |
| 5,724 | At-Bats | 5,189 |
| 1,869 | Hits | 1,659 |
| 995 | Runs | 1,026 |
| 353 | Home Runs | 398 |
| 1,136 | Runs Batted In | 1,265 |
| 596 | Walks | 858 |
| 165 | Stolen Bases | 17 |
| .327 | Batting Average | .320 |
| .394 | On-Base Percentage | .419 |
| .586 | Slugging Percentage | .620 |
| 52.7 | Wins Above Replacement | 53.0 |
Source: Baseball-Reference.com
Across their decades of dominance, Guerrero was the better pure hitter, but Ramirez was an on-base machine and a more prolific slugger overall – all that being said, the duo produced essentially identical WAR over their respective best 10 seasons.
My Thoughts
From a pure performance standpoint, I think it is pretty clear that Manny Ramirez had a better career than Vladimir Guerrero – better offensive numbers almost across the board in the regular season plus better playoff statistics with multiple championships won. However, the dark cloud of steroids is also a permanent part of his legacy and casts significant doubt on whether or not he will ever make it to the Hall of Fame. I am a bit conflicted about the steroid era in general – on one hand, you have guys like Mike Piazza, Ivan Rodriguez, Jeff Bagwell, etc. who have steroid suspicions around them, yet are in the Hall of Fame; then, on the other hand, you have guys like Ramirez, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, Rafael Palmeiro, Gary Sheffield etc. who are not in the Hall explicitly due to performance-enhancing drugs (where will David Ortiz end up in this conversation?). It feels like there should be a common ground for the entire period where players can get into Cooperstown, but with steroid use as a part of their legacy; perhaps with the passage of time, more of these guys will eventually get their plaques.
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
Manny Ramirez
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
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