Aramis Ramirez is no longer a Cub, but he did have plenty to say about his tenure in Chicago when speaking with Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Ramirez, 33, signed with the Brewers as a free agent this offseason, ending his 8 1/2-year reign with the Cubs.
As Wittenmyer points out, Ramirez finished his time in Chicago with the sixth most home runs in team history (239) and third-best slugging percentage (.531). However, Ramirez had plenty of critics in Chicago, who often questioned his work ethic.
"You talking about (Cubs broadcaster) Bob Brenly?" Ramirez asked Wittenmyer in response to a question about claims he didn't give his full effort. "I ain't going to get into a war with Brenly or any other guy. Brenly played the game. He knows how it is. And if you want, you can put my numbers right next to his and see who did better in their career."
Ramirez is a .284/.342/.500 career hitter with 1,788 hits and 315 home runs in parts of 14 seasons with the Pirates and Cubs. Brenly, played nine years with the Giants and Blue Jays, hitting .247/.330/.403 with 647 hits and 91 home runs.
Brenly, who has served as the Cubs color analyst since 2005, stood by his criticisms of Ramriez.
"Until I see him hustle for nine innings every day, I feel he'll never be the great player he could be," Brenly told Wittenmyer. "I don't argue his stats. They stand on their own. I guess it's my perception of him not being as good as he could be. If he's content to be good and not great, that's up to him."
Ramirez's teammates, such as Starlin Castro and Alfonso Soriano, stood up for their former teammate. Soriano said Ramirez's stoic nature makes it appear he isn't invested in the game, but said Ramirez is -- "If he had a little more energy or emotion," Soriano told the Sun-Times, "people might look at him different."
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