Baseball legend Manny Ramirez teaching Wollongong's best

A dual World Series champion and 12-time Major League Baseball All Star, the former Boston Red Sox star is baseball royalty.

So when it was revealed Ramirez would be joining the Sydney Blue Sox for the upcoming Australian Baseball League season, Howe and his teammates were overawed.

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It didn't take long, however, for the 48-year-old to slide seamlessly into the squad.

"This is a guy that pretty much everyone in the Blue Sox organisation was watching win World Series when we were in high school," Howe said. "He's a superstar, a rockstar.

"To get the opportunity to meet Manny, play with him, train with him, that's what dreams are made of.

"As soon as he arrived at training, he was one of the team, a teammate from the get-go. He's been asking a lot of questions, asking for advice. I couldn't fathom a guy who's a 12-time All Star asking advice about how to hit from a school teacher."

Ramirez's Blue Sox debut has been delayed twice, first by injury before the Northern Beaches coronavirus outbreak threw the team's season into chaos.

The side's opening-round series against the Melbourne Aces was cancelled after just two games, with Sydney sitting on the sidelines for the past week as the competition resumed.

With state borders closed, the immediate outlook for the side is bleak. Hopes remain high that a full schedule will still be completed.

The team will play an internal clash at Blacktown on Monday night, with coaches optimistic Ramirez will turn out for the affair.

"It looks like he'll be taking part in an exhibition game on Monday night," Howe said. "That will give an indication of where he's at.

"It's been advertised as Blue Sox v Blue Sox Futures; it's a good opportunity for the squad to go at each other.

"An opportunity for the hitters to see quality pitching and get live at-bats and for the pitchers to stay sharp to make sure we're ready to go when we do get to play."

Howe is one of three Wollongong players on the Blue Sox main roster - Trent D'Antonio and Brad Simon also suiting up for the team this summer.

With Ramirez leading a talented roster, expectations were high. After a disappointing finish last year, Sydney were looking to figure in the race for the Claxton Shield.

For Howe, that is the most frustrating aspect of this latest outbreak. However, he's confident the Blue Sox will hit the ground running when their season does resume.

"Going up against the defending premiers is always tough but it gave us a chance to see where we're at. We had a good win on the Thursday, were right in it on the Friday. If a few things went differently, it could've been a 2-0 start to the season,'' Howe said.

"We are very excited to see what we can do this season. Hopefully Manny can get back on the field, get his body right and be good to go when we do play again, it's very exciting."