Much like death, taxes and bad Bears quarterback play, you can always count on Chicago White Sox shortstop Alexei Ramirez to struggle mightily at the start of every baseball season. This year wasn't any different: Ramirez hit a paltry .207/.233/.264 in April, and has been steadily improving ever since.
↵As the temperature increases, so does Alexei's production. It's like clockwork. That why it's no surprise that in the midst of a decidedly nasty heatwave currently tearing apart Chicago, Ramirez is crushing the ball. Alexei went 3-for-5 in the series opener vs. the Texas Rangers on Monday and added two more hits in the White Sox's walkoff win last night. He's now 26 for his last 63, which has moved his average from .215 to .256.
↵That meager triple-slash line in April gave way to a .245/.263/.318 line in May, and a .292/.314/.365 line in June. In July, when temperatures have routinely threatened triple digits, Ramirez is hitting .417/.462/.500.
↵OK, so we're only a few days into the month, but if history tells us anything it's that Ramirez is just getting started.