Max Ramirez: "standing out" this winter
by Brett Perryman on Jan 13, 2009 4:05 PM CST
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PrintBaseball America profiles four prospects who have shown particularly well in winter ball, among them MaxRam.
Max Ramirez, c, Rangers: Since he was a teenager, Ramirez has always stood out among his peers at the plate. Ramirez followed up an outstanding minor league season by leading the Venezuela League with 15 home runs and ranking second in slugging, finishing with a .291/.391/.618 line in 220 plate appearances. Ramirez has 65 power on the 20-80 scouting scale, but he’s a bit of a different animal from Sandoval offensively, as evidenced by Ramirez’s 57 strikeouts this winter.
"His swing is different from Sandoval’s," said one scout. "Sandoval is short to the ball and can hit the ball out of the park anywhere because of his ability to use his hands. Ramirez is more of a pull-oriented hitter—not a dead pull hitter—but his swing is longer. He could hit 25-30 homers in the majors, but he’s more vulnerable against changeups and curveballs. Sandoval’s swing can adjust better to offspeed stuff because he’s short and compact and stays back a little bit longer."
Like Sandoval, Ramirez will also have to monitor his conditioning to stay behind the plate. Even after trading Gerald Laird, the Rangers still have to sort out their catching situation between Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Taylor Teagarden and Ramirez. The general scouting consensus from those who watched Ramirez during the minor league season was that he might eventually have to move off the position, but at least one scout who saw Ramirez in Venezuela said that Ramirez has the potential to catch in the big leagues.
"That guy is going to be a major league everyday catcher," the scout continued. "He still needs to improve his catching and throwing, but he’s still young. He can catch, he can block—you can see him getting better. But this kid can hit in the major leagues."
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It's good for me to see some comments on his swing.
I haven’t found much on that. I’ve always wondered if his ML production would be limited by some aspect of his swing, because his ability to know what he wants to hit and lay off the other stuff appears like it will translate well.
2009? Forget it. It's all about 2010. Go Rangers!
The one comment was curious to me
He may be a little long, but he’s not a pull hitter. He hits a lot of his hard line drives to right-center and has always been regarded as someone who uses the whole field. Maybe he’s fallen in love with his pull power this year, I don’t know.
by Brett Perryman on Jan 13, 2009 4:15 PM CST up reply actions
What does this have to do
with the Michael Young Imbroglio? LSB is all MY, all the time!
Get off my lawn.
The community is in crisis! The children!
Go Strangers.
by hightowersmith on Jan 13, 2009 4:22 PM CST up reply actions
who knew there was a g in imbrolio!
by Smoakin in the Boys Room on Jan 13, 2009 4:54 PM CST up reply actions 4 recs
Uhhhh.....
yeah, there is a g in imbroglio….
Merriam Webster
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/imbroglio
Get off my lawn.
by DJCahill on Jan 14, 2009 7:23 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
http://www.lonestarball.com/2009/1/13/719531/bye-bye-red-sox-need-for-c#11381814
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
by Dirk Diggler on Jan 14, 2009 7:41 AM CST up reply actions
It's just funny that
the question on Ramirez all along has been whether he had enough power to warrant moving down the defensive spectrum to a 1B/DH or corner utility role, and now he’s got 65 power and we have to worry about the rest of his offensive package. I think the guy can just flat out hit.
by Brett Perryman on Jan 13, 2009 4:36 PM CST up reply actions
Heh,
paging Todd…
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
heh
Good to be known for something other than being an asshole.
"I see their [Angels] rotation as John Lackey and a bunch of decent starters." - AJM
Well, I haven't been reading
through all these threads :)
"...my balls are really like a veiny flesh color" blueballlefty on Jun 4, 2008 7:44 PM EDT
"you gonna lose your horse. seriously." FX2
Yes we can! November 04, 2008
"I think the guy can just flat out hit"
Yup.
Nearly every time I post a comment about him, I have to restrain myself from using a certain comp for his bat. Hitters like this guy just don’t come around real often.
"I see their [Angels] rotation as John Lackey and a bunch of decent starters." - AJM
who is the comp?
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Jan 13, 2009 9:18 PM CST up reply actions
V Mart?
why do you restrain?
"Holland didn’t make that kid question his swing, he made him question his career path"
I think he's talking about Manny.
He’s alluded to that comp before, iirc.
A quick DirkaSearch revealed this. That’s kind of a Max/Manny comp. Sort of, anyhow.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
I don‘t know you who you are. I don‘t know what you want. If you‘re looking for me to be a man and move to third base for the good of the team, I can tell you, I don't have man parts. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills acquired over a very long career of secretly being a pretty huge douche. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you trade me now, that will be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don‘t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will throw a gigantic hissy fit in the media.
by thedirkatron on Jan 14, 2009 2:48 AM CST up reply actions
not much gets past you Mr. Dirk
Of course it would be stupid to project any minor leaguer to have that type career, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Maximillion had a Manny-esque season or two. When I watch MaxRam hit, it just reminds me a lot of ManRam.
"I see their [Angels] rotation as John Lackey and a bunch of decent starters." - AJM
me too
since he left AA, he has had serious problems with the K. But I hear more and more people who think he can be a passable major league catcher, so if he can put up a .270/.370/.470 line (which doesn’t seem unreasonable judging from his career minor league numbers), I don’t think anyone will worry about the Ks. If he comes out strong in AAA next year, he could certainly be used to anchor a deal for a guy like Grienke, should the Rangers feel compelled to add a starter.
Since he left AA?
He only played ten games in AAA, and that was after he’d missed time. He jumped to the majors after only a half season of AA, so you would expect that he would have an adjustment. I think 27 games of sporadic playing time is a little too early to be talking about post-AA results.
by Brett Perryman on Jan 13, 2009 4:38 PM CST up reply actions
and that's
27 combined games, both MLB and AAA
by Brett Perryman on Jan 13, 2009 4:39 PM CST up reply actions
well i was including winter ball as well
but you are right, it is a small sample size, regardless of where he was. still, it is alarming that, against more advanced pitching, his K rate jumped and his walk rate fell quite a bit.
TG isn't considered the hitter Max is
he is just exponentially better defensively.
Wait 'til the year after next
The problem is Ks in the minors
Not saying that’s a problem for Ramirez right now, but a lot of K’s in the minors isn’t the same as a lot of K’s in the majors.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
-The Outlaw
see dunn, adam
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Jan 13, 2009 9:18 PM CST up reply actions
Ks
352 Ks in 1481 ABs for his minors career.
So, around 100 in a normal catcher season, no?
The reviews of his ability behind the plate are REAL nice to hear.
Go Strangers.
by hightowersmith on Jan 13, 2009 4:45 PM CST up reply actions
Seeing that BA report
that showed him middle-of-the-pack in blocking pitches made me really optimistic. If he can simply become passable behind the plate he’ll be an absolute stud.
I didn't think
he was terrible in the few games he played behind the plate last year. And, I seem to remember him with a couple of big blocks when runners were trying to score. Can’t remember what team it was against, though.
"We live, we die, and the wheels on the bus go round and round." - Tony Romo
Webgem of the year, for catchers.
The Angels.
"My mother always taught me that if the only thing you have to say is,
‘(Expletive) Dave Samson,’ then don’t say anything at all.
So I’m not going to say anything at all.
Is my mother the greatest or what?"
- Mariners GM Bill Bavasi, after signing Ichiro to a $90 million contract
His biggest weakness right now, I think
Is how he handles the pitching staff, game management.
"My mother always taught me that if the only thing you have to say is,
‘(Expletive) Dave Samson,’ then don’t say anything at all.
So I’m not going to say anything at all.
Is my mother the greatest or what?"
- Mariners GM Bill Bavasi, after signing Ichiro to a $90 million contract
Yeah
I mean, he’s not as advanced as Teagarden and probably never will be defensively but isn’t he just about as good as Salty?
"We live, we die, and the wheels on the bus go round and round." - Tony Romo
Max Ram...
…also named the Venezualan League’s Rookie of the Year today.
"Hold up that (expletive) Cubs (expletive). (Expletive) them." -- Patti Blagojevich.
Max just keeps on mashing
I just think that if you have Max and TT as your two catchers, you really have a couple of plus players and roster flexibility that most teams don’t have. Those two seem like perfect compliments to each other.
"I see their [Angels] rotation as John Lackey and a bunch of decent starters." - AJM
It punks Napoli and Mathis.
"My mother always taught me that if the only thing you have to say is,
‘(Expletive) Dave Samson,’ then don’t say anything at all.
So I’m not going to say anything at all.
Is my mother the greatest or what?"
- Mariners GM Bill Bavasi, after signing Ichiro to a $90 million contract
That is very encouraging
on all fronts. It makes me more confident that he could hit well enough to be at least an average DH, but it makes me feel like there’s a greater chance he could have super high value as an awesome bat at catcher.
Either way, his value to the Rangers goes up, in Arlington or in trade.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
Thanks Z
This is very good news. It’s nice to read something that doesn’t have to do with MY and who to blame for the situation. Anything about Salty’s winter-ball outing?
Here is the oft-asked question
How poor of a defense can a catcher play? If Max played an entire season at catcher, how many runs would his defense cost? 20? 30? 40?
heres the question to me
if you go w/ maxram at c and davis at 3b along w/ say smoak/kinsler/andrus at 1b/2b/ss
is that something anyone else can deal with?
Scout: He was a first-round pick right? Got a huge bonus?
KG: Oh yeah.
Scout: Well, he spent a lot of it on milkshakes.
by knockoutking on Jan 13, 2009 9:19 PM CST up reply actions
no
Davis at 1B
I guess you heard Fat Joe left Atlantic.
by Haeger Champ on Jan 13, 2009 9:20 PM CST up reply actions
Davis in NY.
Give me Sheets or give me Offseason Blues Part III.
by inactive lsb user on Jan 13, 2009 10:50 PM CST up reply actions
I dont know why
But I laughed.
"My mother always taught me that if the only thing you have to say is,
‘(Expletive) Dave Samson,’ then don’t say anything at all.
So I’m not going to say anything at all.
Is my mother the greatest or what?"
- Mariners GM Bill Bavasi, after signing Ichiro to a $90 million contract
That home run put us back in the lead after Mendoofus gave up the Giambi grand slam.
Then we decided Warner Madrigal was ready for the big-leagues.
He really settled down after that, though.
"My mother always taught me that if the only thing you have to say is,
‘(Expletive) Dave Samson,’ then don’t say anything at all.
So I’m not going to say anything at all.
Is my mother the greatest or what?"
- Mariners GM Bill Bavasi, after signing Ichiro to a $90 million contract
thats good stuff
and the scout seemed like he had seen him enough to know if his defense was improving.
mormons stole me and held me against my will with Oklahoma beer and 12+ hour work days.
JD
needs to leak to the Boston ress that Maxram is untouchable just to mess with their head
Just MaxRam?
All 3 of the Rangers catchers are untouchable.
Fuck ’em.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
He should be our catcher of the future.
No question, imo.
The 40 Trumps All!!!
I don‘t know you who you are. I don‘t know what you want. If you‘re looking for me to be a man and move to third base for the good of the team, I can tell you, I don't have man parts. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills acquired over a very long career of secretly being a pretty huge douche. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you trade me now, that will be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don‘t, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will throw a gigantic hissy fit in the media.
not as high on Teagarden?
I agree with you in many regards…I think Max has shown he can hit, and that it should translate to above average major league production, and I really liked watching him behind the plate…he’s passionate and doesn’t really look like a BAD defender. But Teagarden’s defense and ability to frame perfectly for the pitchers from what I’ve heard, along with his offensive prowess he’s shown in AA and the majors (not so much in AAA)…I just don’t know.
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Jan 14, 2009 2:28 AM CST up reply actions
it's a good problem to have until someone isn't getting playing
and you have to choose which catcher to play. We have 3 possible catchers that would be starters for most teams in baseball. After this year one gets traded or one moves positions.
Wait 'til the year after next
I am happycited to read this
"I'm against picketing, but I don't know how to show it." - Mitch Hedberg
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