BC baseball club recruits MLB legend’s pair of sons for summer season

Not every day a BC baseball team signs the son of a former MLB player, but signing two, now that is a special feat.

The Victoria HarbourCats announced Thursday that the sons of Manny Ramirez, Manny Jr. and Lucas, are set to join the club this summer in the West Coast League.

“These are notable signings not just for us but for the entire West Coast League — this will be exciting news for our fans and sponsors, no question,” said Jim Swanson of the HarbourCats.

Manny Jr., 21, is an outfielder with East LA College and leads the team with three home runs and 18 RBIs in 20 games.

Lucas, 18, is a graduating senior at American Heritage in Florida and is committed to playing at the University of Tennessee in the fall.

“They come highly recommended by our former pitching coach, Alec Adame, who is coaching Manny Jr. at ELAC (East LA College),” added Swanson.

“It’s been a pleasure working with the family to set this all up and we know Victoria will welcome them all with open arms — to the city rated the best city in the world.”

The two players do not have to look far for hitting advice, as their dad sits 15th all-time in career MLB home runs (555).

Their father played 19 seasons in the big leagues with Cleveland, Boston, LA, Chicago and Tampa Bay, winning the World Series in 2004 and 2007 with the Red Sox.

The 12-time all-star won the 2002 American League batting title, the Hank Aaron Award in 1999 and 2004, and holds the record for most postseason home runs.

The HarbourCats open the 2024 season on May 31 in Kamloops before heading south to face the Kelowna Falcons.