Andre Ethier, Manny Ramirez and the effect

Many say myths exist about great hitters making other hitters better, especially when the hitter in question hits in front of the superstar. For the sake of my argument, I'm talking about Andre Ethier and Manny Ramirez. After Ethier's leadoff HR in the sixth inning of today's game against the Braves, I got to thinking about what kind of effect Manny has really had on Mr. Ethier.

Since acquiring Ramirez on July 31, 2008, he has done nothing but help improve Ethier's overall numbers. This breakdown is of every game Ethier has played while Ramirez was in the lineup -- either hitting directly in front of Manny or when Manny was in the lineup since August 1, 2008:

Ramirez in the lineup and Ethier not hitting directly in front of him (66 games):

.309 AVG (75-243)
.411 OBP
.547 SLG
.958 OPS
46 Runs
18 2B
2 3B
12 HR
41 RBI
40:34 BB:K Ratio

Ramirez in the lineup and Ethier hitting directly in front of him (28 games):

.398 AVG (47-118)
463 OBP
.737 SLG
1.200 OPS
29 Runs
9 2B
2 3B
9 HR
28 RBI
15:22 BB:K Ratio

Here are Ethier's career numbers batting second

It's obvious that, despite the smaller sample size, Ethier enjoys more success while hitting directly in front of Ramirez. However, his numbers since the Manny acquisition aren't too shabby by themselves. So, Mr. Torre, please do not remove Ethier from the second spot in the lineup, as it can only benefit the Dodgers when Ethier is hitting out of his mind.