Manny Who? Juan Gonzalez Has Made Cleveland Indians Forget Ramirez

CLEVELAND —  He has hit a game-winning, 400-foot homer with one hand, made two perfect throws in one inning to nail runners, and even visited the White House to see his old friend, George W. Bush.

Juan Gonzalez had some first month with the Cleveland Indians.

His impressive statistics--nine homers, 32 RBIs and a .388 average going into the weekend--have placed him among the AL leaders in most offensive categories, and his five assists were tops in the majors for April.

But Gonzalez has done something even more spectacular, something that a few months ago seemed impossible.

He’s made Cleveland forget Manny Ramirez.

“This isn’t a knock on Manny,” Indians reliever Paul Shuey said after Gonzalez’s two-run, one-armed homer beat the Anaheim Angels on April 26. “Manny is great. Juan’s a better player.”

So far, he has been.

Ramirez, who left the Indians as a free agent this winter for $160 million, is off to a phenomenal start with the Boston Red Sox.

But unlike Ramirez, now relegated to being a designated hitter, Gonzalez is also doing it with his glove.

And at $10 million for the season, he might be one of baseball’s best big-name bargains.

“I’ve been watching Juan since spring training, and he continues to impress me,” Indians manager Charlie Manuel said. “I didn’t really know how good he was defensively. He gets a good jump, you never have to move him around and he’s got a great arm. Juan’s a player.”

Perhaps the only one who could adequately replace Ramirez.

Following a dismal season in Detroit, Gonzalez, a two-time AL MVP, is back to his old self in Cleveland. His swing has returned, along with his smile.

“He’s healthy and he’s happy,” said Indians second baseman Roberto Alomar, who has known Gonzalez since they were Little League teammates in Puerto Rico. “He’s going to have a huge year.”

When Ramirez signed with the Red Sox in December, Cleveland fans went into shock.

Still recovering from the Indians’ failure to make the playoffs for the first time since 1994, they felt betrayed when Ramirez turned down a $150 million offer from Cleveland for an eight-year, $160 million deal with Boston.

Ramirez’s departure seemed to signal the end of an era in Cleveland. For the first time in six years, Indians fans didn’t sell out the entire 2001 season-ticket allotment before opening day.

These days, fans can walk up to the windows on game day at Jacobs Field and buy tickets. And some of them are coming to see Gonzalez rip line drives off and over the left-field wall. He got off to a great start, hitting two homers in the season opener.

Gonzalez chose to play in Cleveland in part because he hits there better than anyplace else.

In 14 home games, he’s batting .390 with six homers and 17 RBIs, raising his career totals to .358 with 18 homers and 53 RBIs in 44 games in Cleveland’s 7-year-old park.

Multiply that by four, and you can see why Clevelanders are saying, “Manny Who?”

“Robbie told me I’ll drive in 170 runs,” Gonzalez said, referring to Alomar. “We’ll see.”

Gonzalez’s fast start with Cleveland has made an impression on his new teammates as well.

“I used to watch Juan, and wonder about him,” said Ellis Burks, who also signed with the Indians this winter. “I was curious about what it would be like to play with him. I’ll tell you this, he’s legit.”

Before signing Gonzalez, the Indians, too, wondered what kind of player they were getting.

After nine superb seasons with Texas, Gonzalez’s stats dropped dramatically last season in Detroit, which acquired him in a nine-player swap in 1999.

He averaged 42 homers and 140 RBIs from 1996-99, but had just 22 homers and 67 RBIs with the Tigers. His power stroke produced long outs in Detroit’s new pitcher-friendly Comerica Park and he struggled through back and foot injuries.

“Last year was hard,” he admits. “The new ballpark, my hamstring, my back. I was hurt.”

And unhappy. He didn’t fit in with all of his new teammates, and then alienated himself from Detroit fans by rejecting a $140 million contract from the Tigers.

“It was a great contract,” he said. “But money isn’t everything to me. There are more important things, happiness, health and my family. It’s not all about the money. I learned a lot last year about baseball, about life, about everything.”

So while Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, Mike Hampton and others got even more money, Gonzalez didn’t draw much interest in the offseason except from the Indians.

The contract is good for him and Cleveland. Gonzalez has the incentive to get a mega-million-dollar contract by putting up his typical numbers, and if he does, he could win another MVP award and the Indians might finally win it all.

“There was only one guy out there who could replace Manny, and it was Juan,” Indians general manager John Hart said. “We were convinced he was the right guy talent-wise and clubhouse-wise. A perfect fit.”

Gonzalez is always on the move. Rarely does he sit at his locker in the clubhouse in the hours before a home game. Instead, he’s either off to the weight room, indoor batting cages or trainer’s room.

But wherever he’s headed, Gonzalez is usually smiling on the way. The only Indian showing as many teeth these days is Cleveland’s Chief Wahoo mascot.

“Juan’s always got a smile,” Manuel said. “He just loves to play baseball.”

Gonzalez isn’t worried about where he might play next season or how much money he could make. He recently dumped agent Scott Boras to join SFX Baseball Group.

Once his playing career ends, the 31-year-old Gonzalez has other ambitions.

While the Indians were in Baltimore recently, Gonzalez took a day trip to Washington and got a private tour of the White House from President Bush, the Texas Rangers’ owner from 1989-94.

“He’s a great guy,” Gonzalez said. “He’d sit right behind the on-deck circle. One day he said, ‘I’ll be President of the United States.’ And it came true.”

During the visit, Gonzalez talked with Bush about the U.S. Navy’s controversial use of a bombing range in Vieques, Puerto Rico. Last month, Gonzalez’s picture and signature appeared on a full-page newspaper ad protesting the bombing.

Gonzalez has hinted about a political career after he retires.

“Maybe,” he said.

Mayor of Cleveland would be a nice start.