Chicago Cubs: Looking at the lasting legacy of Aramis Ramirez

The 2018 Chicago Cubs Convention brought out a number of alumni. While much was discussed about the continued absence of Sammy Sosa, one cannot help but wonder where Aramis Ramirez is these days.

Watching the introductions at Cubs Convention every year is always interesting. Former players both active and retired show up to briefly return to their days with the Chicago Cubs.

Fans get the usual suspects like Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins, Kerry Wood, Ryne Sandberg, etc. Then get some other names from Derrek Lee to Pete LaCock. Many memorable names, but there are always some missing.

The elephant in the room during the alumni introductions was obviously Sammy Sosa. Chairman Tom Ricketts said at the convention that he was not going to bring Sosa back until he came clean about PED use in the late 90s and early 2000s. Pretty clear the exile will continue until who knows when.

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What about Aramis Ramirez? The former third baseman was a centerpiece for the Chicago Cubs for a number of years. After retiring with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015 he seems to have completely vanished from public eye. A lot of people likely would love to see him back at a Cubs Convention because of his past contributions.

The importance of Ramirez to the Cubs

Aramis Ramirez spent eight-plus easons in a Cubs uniform. He came over from the Pirates in a lopsided trade. Ramirez was 25 at the time and was blossoming into a All-Star caliber player and the rest was history.

In his time in Chicago (2003-2011), Ramirez slashed .294/.356/.531 with an .887 OPS, 239 home runs, 806 RBI and was a 27.2 fWAR player in 1,124 games. He was a two-time All-Star (2005, 2008) and played on three division-winning teams (2003, 2007, 2008). While his defense was never stellar, Ramirez could always put up good offensive stats in a season.

He was known as being the clutch hitter of the 2000s for the Cubs. Featuring memorable walk-off home runs in big games, including the dramatic win against the Brewers on June 29, 2007, in which he hit a two-out, two-run home run in the ninth to win it 6-5. One cannot forget his walk-off home runs against the White Sox (2008), Cardinals (2009) and Rockies (2010).

Unfortunately he never won a World Series or a pennant in Chicago, and struggled mightily in the 2007 and 2008 postseasons. However he came up with some big hits in the 2003 postseason including a grand slam off Dontrelle Willis in Game Four of the NLCS. He slashed .250/.346/.590 across 12 Cubs postseason games in 2003.

His legacy in Chicago

Chicago Cubs fans who watched the team play in the 2000s will certainly remember Ramirez for the rest of their lives. Him and Derrek Lee were the cornerstones of the Cubs for a good chunk of that decade. Their trips to the postseason those years probably do not happen without his contribution.

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Until Kris Bryant came around, Ramirez was the most productive third baseman the Cubs have had since Ron Santo. From 1974-2002, the team was a carousel of different third baseman with occasional solid names coming in for a short time such as Bill Madlock or Ron Cey.

Not saying he should have his number retired or anything, but he deserves credit for what he did in his time in Chicago.