Hanley takes his cue from Brady in an effort to beat the aging process

FORT MYERS, Fla. – It’s unclear how much attention Hanley Ramirez pays to demographic shifts and actuarial trends throughout the game of baseball.

But surely, he can take a look around him and find far fewer players in their mid-to-late 30s than existed a decade ago. Youth is being served, in plentiful portions. Four members of Red Sox projected starting lineup will be 25 or younger on Opening Day. Meanwhile, up Interstate 75 in Bradenton, dozens of free agents, the vast majority of whom are north of 30 and desperately seeking work.

That doesn’t bode well for the 34-year-old Ramirez, particularly since he’s on the final guaranteed year of a multi-year contract. A time of reckoning has arrived for older players, who are competing for jobs and playing time with younger, leaner, more pliable teammates.

“These guys, when they get older, they have to make adjustments,’’ said manager Alex Cora. “David (Ortiz) went through it and it looked like it paid off for him.’’

So in the last seven months, Ramirez decided to do something about it. Ramirez has bought into Tom Brady’s celebrated TB12 Method and speaking with reporters Friday, sounded like an aspiring pitchman for the quarterback’s program.

“More bands,’’ noted Ramirez, talking about changes to his workout regimen. “I went on the Tom Brady side. I followed 100 percent, everything they say in the book. It makes a lot of sense. It’s working for me.''

Ramirez may have grown up far from Brady's native northern California and play a different sport. But when he looks at Brady, one thing stands out to him.

“The good thing about Brady is winning,'' Ramirez said. "It’s about winning and making his team better. When you’ve got a guy like that and he encourages people and he shows people that age is just a number when you do the little things right. That’s what he does.’’

Ramirez predicts that more and more players will emphasize flexibility over muscle mass as they age. He’s seeing it already.

“I see it at the gym I go to now,’’ he said. “You see a lot of (stretching) bands and you’re going to see changes (in how older athletes change).’’

Ramirez said he hasn’t visited with Alex Guerrero or spoken with Brady. But following along at home, he’s reshaped his body and dropped 15 pounds.

“My hips (feel better), my swing is faster,’’ reported Ramirez. “It’s effortless. So, good things. You sit down and think about the changes to make for next year. You start to do these things, when you see the difference, your mind is telling you that you needed (to make changes).’’

In recent years, Ramirez heard from his body, too, and knew he had to make adjustments.

“When you’re young,’’ he said, “you need those big muscles to get stronger. When you get to that age, when you cross 30, you’ve got to concentrate on the little muscles. You’ve got the power from the big muscles. When you get hurt, those little muscles stop working. So you’ve got to keep working on those little muscles.

“That’s what the bands do. They give you more resistance and keep the little muscles working.’’

Asked if he followed Brady’s stringent dietary requirements, he answered: “A little bit. But I’ve got my guy (a nutritionist), too. He’s been on top of me the whole year, the whole season….Ah, I can’t wait to fry hamburgers.’’

If Ramirez’s diet isn’t exactly textbook, the results of his work are obvious.

‘I saw him today and he looks a lot different from what I’ve seen the last two years,’’ noted Cora. “The last two years, he reminded me a lot of Ray Lewis, as far as how big he was. But now, he looks like he’s going to be more mobile and flexible.’’

Re-shaped or not, there’s a lot at stake for Ramirez, who could find himself entering a star-studded (and younger) free agent class this winter if he doesn’t accumulate at least 497 plate appearances to vest a 2019 option worth $22 million.

“We’re not thinking about contracts,’’ insisted Ramirez. “We just want to win championships and produce. If we produce and win, that’s going to take care of everything at the end of the year. For me, it doesn’t matter. I just want to win. And after that, we’ll see what happens.’’

It helps that in addition to his training, Ramirez is healthier than he was last season. Shoulder surgery has returned more range of motion and with it, potentially more power.

“I was hitting with one arm last year and I hit 23 (homers),’’ said Ramirez. “You’re going to see. Now that I feel good, there can be no excuses.  I better go out there and hit more than 30.’’

All of which sets Ramirez up for a comeback season, one that can erase what he considers a disappointing 2017.

“For me, no doubt,’’ he said.” I didn’t get 100 RBI or 30 homers. But I never make excuses. In this game, you’ve got to produce, daily. You’ve got to find a way on a daily basis to go out there and produce. That’s why you’re here.’’