On cusp of free agency, Ramirez faces put-up year

What would you call a Cub who has put up batting average of .293, an on-base percentage of .355 and a slugging percentage of .534 during his time in Chicago?

What would you call a Cub who received MVP votes four times and was named to two all-star teams?

What would you call a guy who has hit 213 of his 289 lifetime homers as a Cub?

Or a guy who is the only Cub ever to have recorded five straight seasons of at least 30 doubles and 25 homers?

Or one with OPS-plus numbers of 130, 126, 128, 126, 134 and 138?

You’d probably call him the most potent offensive force over his time with the team.

If you called him by his name, you’d call him Aramis Ramirez.

But Ramirez has been called a lot of unflattering things by fans and media for whatever reason. He’s been called too laid-back, lazy and uncaring.

This season, Ramirez is in a put-up year because of a horrid start last year that helped sink the 2010 season early and because it’s a potential free-agent season because of a mutual option in his contract.

If Ramirez leaves, Cubs fans might end up lamenting that they didn’t know what they had until it’s gone, because Ramirez has been the Cubs most productive third baseman since the late Ron Santo.

Here are the key factors for Ramirez and the Cubs at third base.

Health:

Ramirez declared himself 100 percent healthy when he reported for spring training. In May, he’ll be two years removed from a dislocated left shoulder.

Last season, Ramirez was bothered by a sore left thumb and other, mostly undisclosed, nagging injuries.

Heading into Sunday’s split-squad game against the Dodgers, Ramirez was 5-for-12 with 5 RBI.

Leadership:

Ramirez never has been and never will be a rah-rah team leader. However, the Cubs seemed happy that Ramirez stood up to Carlos Silva last week, when Silva seemed to be complaining about the team’s poor defense.

At 32 and with more than a decade in the big leagues, the Cubs probably would like Ramirez to take a more active leadership role, especially as he plays alongside second-year shortstop Starlin Castro.

Contract:

The Cubs and Ramirez have a mutual option for 2012 worth $16 million.

That would seem to provide ample motivation. However, Ramirez could have opted out of his deal after last season, and that should have provided motivation for 2010. Instead, Ramirez put up anemic hitting lines of .152/.216/.283 and .173/.241/.253 in April and May, respectively.

“I never had that kind of first half before,” Ramirez said in spring training. “I was expecting a lot more from myself. But I got healthy, and I finished strong.

“There’s no other place that I want to be. But we’ll see. We’ll see what happens. I don’t know what they’re thinking. I’m still under contract.”

Defense:

Coming up with Pittsburgh, Ramirez looked to be an indifferent fielder at third base. He made great strides after his 2003 trade to the Cubs.

Ramirez made 16 errors in 124 games last year, and his range looked to be diminished. One ranking, called UZR/150 (ultimate zone rating, measuring runs above average per 150 defensive games), had him at minus-9.1 last season.

The future:

The Cubs have a pair of young third basemen in camp. Josh Vitters was their No. 1 draft pick in 2007. The 21-year-old Vitters looks physically stronger as well as more outgoing in his personality. Vitters has battled nagging injuries since becoming a pro, including a broken hand that ended last season in late July.

At Class A Daytona, he had a line of .291/.350/.445 with 3 homers in 28 games. He was promoted to Class AA Tennessee, where he went .223/.292/.383 with 7 homers in 63 games.

The other third baseman in camp is Marquez Smith, an older prospect who turns 26 this month. The former Clemson University star opened eyes last year at Class AAA Iowa, where he went .314/.384/.574 with 17 homers in 91 games after being promoted from Tennessee.

Smith likely will start this year at Iowa, and the Cubs feel they’ll know more about what they have in him as the season progresses.