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Aramis Ramirez wants to finish with Chicago Cubs

If he does, he could rank with club hitting greats

By Paul Sullivan | Tribune reporter

March 4, 2009

MESA, Ariz. — In any discussion regarding the greatest sluggers in Cubs history, the names likely to trip off the tongue are the old standbys.

There's Ernie Banks, Hack Wilson, Sammy Sosa, Billy Williams, Andre Dawson and Ron Santo, all of whom had an up-close-and-personal relationship with Waveland and Sheffield Avenues.

Aramis Ramirez?

Although some may be surprised to find Ramirez's name on the list, the 30-year-old third baseman enters the 2009 season ranked third in franchise history with a .549 slugging percentage, trailing only Wilson (.590) and Sosa (.569).

As he enters his prime, Ramirez easily could wind up as the best hitting third baseman in Cubs history, assuming he stays in Chicago and continues to hit 25 to 35 homers into his mid-30s.

Ramirez, however, doesn't care for the lofty comparisons.

"I've heard that, but I don't really believe in the phrase 'on pace,' because you never know what's going to happen," he said. "You can get hurt, or you're quick to lose it. You keep seeing guys that for some reason, they can be a superstar one day, and two years later, they can't hit a baseball.

"Look at Andruw Jones. He just hit 51 homers (in 2005) and then more than 40 homers (41 in '06), and then last year he only hit three. And he's still young—just 32 (in April). That just goes to show you a lot of stuff can happen."

Ramirez came to the Cubs in summer 2003 and now has the second-longest tenure on the team behind Carlos Zambrano. He plans on ending his career in a Cub uniform.

After the '06 season, Ramirez exercised an opt-out clause in his contract and appeared to be headed to the Los Angeles Angels before he signed a five-year, $75 million deal that includes another opt-out clause after 2010. Ramirez never looked back, despite reportedly leaving as much as $35 million on the table to remain with the Cubs.

"No regrets," he said. "My contract wasn't that bad. My kids got a little bit upset [about possibly leaving Chicago] but I don't have to worry about that money stuff.

"I'd like to end my career here. I feel good here. I knew there was going to be a lot of money on the market, but I didn't want to go anywhere. I just want to stay here with the Cubs."

Ramirez was one of the National League's top hitters in the clutch last season, ranking first in batting average after the sixth inning (.360), and in late and close situations (.423). Hitting with two strikes, Ramirez was third in the league with a .272 average.

Ramirez, however, hasn't performed well in the postseason the last two years, going 0-for-12 against Arizona and 2-for-11 against the Dodgers. Although he's usually hard on himself, Ramirez said he didn't spend the off-season beating himself up.

"You can't think about that," he said. "It's in the past. You can't help it. Sure, it was frustrating but the only thing you can do is try to make [the playoffs] again and try to play better."

psullivan@tribune.com