At 36 he remains one of the most feared and productive hitters in the game, and there's little argument that he's probably the sport's most entertaining player.

In 2008 alone Ramirez made headlines for high-fiving a fan in the outfield after a tremendous catch, fighting with Kevin Youkilis in the Boston dugout, shoving Red Sox travelling secretary Jack McCormick to the ground, forcing a trade out of Boston and igniting a moribund Dodgers team to the post-season.

It was there that "Manny being Manny,'' the catch-all phrase popularized in Boston to describe his behaviour, gave way to "Mannywood.''

Ramirez became a free agent afterwards and proceeded to try to work the market before settling on a $45-million US, two-year deal with the Dodgers.

Will the sequel to the first "Mannywood'' be as good as the original? Maybe, maybe not. But it'll definitely be as interesting, which is why Ramirez tops this list of players to watch in 2009.

2. Alex Rodriguez: It's been an eventful off-season for the troubled star, who admitted to taking a banned substance in February before staging an awkward apology to his teammates during a news conference. Last month, he was felled by a hip injury that required surgery and will sideline him until May. Will he be able to return successfully and play through the pain? Will the Yankees faithful embrace him? Stay tuned.

3. Josh Hamilton: If you caught his awe-inspiring display at last year's all-star game, no explanation is necessary. If you didn't, all you need to know is that Hamilton may very well be the best player in Baseball by season's end.

4. A.J. Burnett: The Yankees gave CC Sabathia and Mark Teixeira more money, but it's the $82.5-million, five-year contract given to Burnett that really intrigues people. Did the mercurial right-hander actually turn the corner during a career season in 2008, or was it just a contract-year surge for the oft-injured fireballer?

5. David Ortiz: For five straight seasons, Big Papi was a leading MVP candidate for the Red Sox as part of a dynamic duo with Ramirez, until a wrist injury limited him to 109 games last year, his lowest total since 2001. How he bounces back this season will be interesting to watch, especially with Ramirez gone.

6. Matt Holliday: The Oakland Athletics swept in out of the blue to acquire the hard-hitting outfielder from Colorado in November in an attempt to rejuvenate their offence. Holliday can certainly do that.

7. Albert Pujols: The two-time NL MVP keeps piling up the big numbers in what's been a remarkably consistent career. The Cardinals have some hope of sneaking up on the Cubs and Brewers in the Central this year, and he'll have to lead the charge.

8. Tim Lincecum: The 24-year-old phenom with the hurricane windup won the NL Cy Young Award and led the majors with 265 strikeouts in his sophomore season. Scary to think how good he'll get for the Giants as he continues to develop.

9. Mark Teixeira: The switch-hitting first baseman, signed to an $180-million, eight-year deal, brings his slugging bat and Gold Glove to a Yankees team that needs both. The expectations will be very high and he'll be counted on to deliver.

10. Miguel Tejada: The first player from Baseball's steroids era convicted in court -- for lying to U.S. Congress about performance-enhancing drugs. How the Astros shortstop fares will be closely watched by management, his peers, and perhaps even the government.