White Sox 2009: Alexei Ramirez
Signed out of Cuba (four years, $4.75 million), Ramirez wasn't considered major-league ready, but instead a very raw 26-year-old that played in a league in Cuba compared by scouts to single-A.
He made the '08 opening day roster as a bench player, so no pressure, which was good considering how overmatched he looked. That lasted a whole month, because once Ramirez settled in, he took off, transforming from a 26-year-old project to an important offensive piece on a division-winning team.
2009 came with pressure; to further develop offensively and flash his glove at shortstop, which Ozzie Guillen and Co. raved about.
Weeks into the season, Ramirez had bust written all over him. Through May 10, he was batting .198 with one homer and three doubles. And at short, he didn't look as natural and fluid as Guillen assured. Like '08, however, Ramirez figured things out sooner rather than later, and was a hidden bright spot within the White Sox offense.
Ramirez progressed and regressed at the plate. His overall power took a dip, hitting six less homers and eight fewer doubles despite 62 more at bats, but you can probably attribute that to a change in approach. Ramirez walked 31 more times and wasn't as aggressive. He sacrificed a few extra bombs for longer at bats, which will serve his career better.
Going Forward
With two years and roughly $2 million remaining on his deal, Ramirez is a bargain. Offensively, he's productive with room to grow and the tools to do it. Defensively is where there are questions. Guillen and the Sox are still calling Ramirez their shortstop, but this season proved that short and second are far apart. Ramirez was never quite comfortable there, which turned him passive, fielding most grounders on his heels and stationary.
Still, it's too early to give up on Ramirez at short. With all the miscues and mental lapses, Ramirez displayed signs of shortstop with his arm -- and when he tried -- his range. And with Gordon Beckham doing the same at third, and no immediate alternatives at either position in the organization, the Sox need to stand pat.
2 Comments
Jeff Buchanan said:
Alexei was much better defensively this year than last, sure he made some errors but he has very good range which more than makes up for the errors.
Alexei's almost there as a player, "all" he needs to do now is combine this years defense and plate discipline with last years power and he'll be a very good player, somewhere in the 3-4 WAR range.
Mario Scalise said:
I disagree. There were hits to the left side and up the middle where you just didn't see Ramirez enter the picture. There were also times he was slow to cover second base on force outs and double plays. I think he has good range, but he definitely fell asleep a few times at short. It resulted in some errors and made him extremely passive. Guillen and Co. raved about his defense at second last year and talked about he's an even better shortstop. By August Guillen corrected himself.
That said, I do agree that if he combines last year and this year together, he'll be one of the better shortstops.
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