The Marlins' five-tool player

MIAMI -- When Larry Beinfest lists the sluggers he has watched blossom while on his team's payroll, he has the makings of a pretty good lineup.

There were Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez in Seattle, and Miguel Cabrera in Florida. The final name Beinfest mentions is Hanley Ramirez.

"Everybody knows he's special," said Beinfest, the Marlins' president for baseball operations. "He can carry us."

Ramirez may not yet belong in the same sentence as baseball's best hitters, but he's in the same paragraph. The All-Star shortstop leads the NL in batting (.361) and hits (163). He has 19 home runs, a career-high 85 RBIs and 23 steals.

Carry the Marlins? Ramirez is the biggest reason Florida has a winning record with a lineup full of deficiencies and a rotation that has been a disappointment.

"Ramirez is a five-tool player," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "He can run, throw, hit, he's got power. He can win the game for you a lot of different ways -- a tremendous player."

The term five-tool player is overused and abused, but it applies to Ramirez now that he has shored up his defense.

He led all NL shortstops in errors in 2007 and 2008, prompting speculation he might be moved to third base or center field.

He stayed at short, and this year he has committed only eight errors to rank seventh in the majors at his position in fielding percentage.

"I've improved a lot," he said. "But I can always get better."

At 25, the .318 career hitter is still an emerging force on offense, too. He began his career batting leadoff, and his productivity dipped whenever he was dropped to the middle of the order. Then he sought the counsel of fellow Dominican Albert Pujols.

Ramirez coyly declines to disclose Pujols' advice, but it helped, and this year Ramirez has thrived in the No. 3 spot. His .400 average with runners in scoring position is third-highest in the majors, and he's fifth in on-base-plus-slugging percentage at .996.

While he understandably looks up to Pujols, Ramirez has plenty of admirers himself.

"If I were to start a team, he's probably the guy I would start it with," Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki said. "I look across the field and try to include some of the things he does in my game.

"The No. 1 thing is his confidence, the swagger he plays with. If you can have that swagger and know you're good -- some guys might not like that, but I like that about him. You see the good players have that, and he definitely does."

Ramirez also has by far the most lucrative contract on baseball's thriftiest team, a $70 million, six-year deal that began this season.

In a clubhouse that endures constant turnover because of Florida's tight budget, he's the cornerstone already penciled in for opening day 2012, when the Marlins are scheduled to move into their new ballpark.

Perhaps then the payroll for the supporting cast will be higher. For now, Florida is trying to do it on the cheap, and a 2-4 trip last week dimmed playoff prospects. Don't blame Ramirez -- he went 11 for 24 on the trip and is batting .432 in August.

Ramirez is counting on a strong finish after bulking up last offseason thanks to a rigorous training regimen. He gained 25 pounds, much of it in the chest and shoulders, and has enjoyed his healthiest season since 2006, when he was NL rookie of the year.

He begins the week with a big lead in the chase for the Marlins' first batting title. Pablo Sandoval of San Francisco is second at .332.

"There are still a lot of games left," Ramirez said. "We are just going to keep working hard to see if we can bring it to Florida."

That's not Ramirez's priority; in virtually every interview he says, "I just want to win." But barring a late surge by the Marlins, he'll watch the playoffs from the sidelines for the fourth time in his four seasons with Florida.

Ramirez already had two hits Sunday when he led off the eighth inning in a tie game at Atlanta.

He bunted on the first pitch and reached first without a throw, because that's what a five-tool player would do.

The Marlins lost anyway. Ramirez can carry them only so far.