Hanley welcomes LeBron

Hanley Ramirez, the Marlins three-time All-Star shortstop and face of the franchise, extended a warm South Florida welcome to LeBron James.

Shortly after James announced he was signing with the Miami Heat, Ramirez scribbled on a piece of paper, “Welcome LeBron.”

The addition of James brings one of the biggest names in sports to South Florida.

The Marlins feature a couple of All-Stars in Ramirez and Josh Johnson, a 6-foot-7 right-hander who played basketball in high school.

Marlins outfielder Cody Ross says he played point guard in high school. He couldn’t dunk.

“But I could get the rim,” said Ross, who is listed as 5-foot-10 in the media guide.

Reliever Burke Badenhop grew up in Ohio, and said he averaged 14 points and seven rebounds a game playing high school basketball.

– Joe Frisaro