Ramirez aiming for a red-hot April

Brewers third baseman Aramis Ramirez hopes this is the year he beats his annual early-season slump.

“I would have like five MVPs in my house right now if I ever got off to a good start,” Ramirez said.

He’s a .285 lifetime hitter but his worst monthly batting average (.257) and on-base percentage (.328) are in April and his worst slugging percentage (.450) is in May. Compare that to August, when Ramirez has hit .305/.367/.547.

He thought that signing a free agent contract with the Brewers would help, since he’d be playing half of his early-season games at climate-controlled Miller Park instead of chilly Wrigley Field. But Ramirez instead followed the same pattern, hitting .214 with two home runs in April last year before rallying to hit .300 with 27 home runs, 105 RBIs and an NL-best 50 doubles.

“I talked to Ronnie [Roenicke] yesterday, and talked to him a couple of times in the offseason, and we want to try to do something different this spring to see if it works out,” Ramirez said. ”I don’t know what it’s going to be yet. I don’t know if it’s going to be play more games, play less games. Take more [batting practice] down here? I don’t know. Just do something different and see if I can get off to a great start.”

Right now, Ramirez and Roenicke are each brainstorming ideas. They’ll talk again before games begin to set a plan.

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