An Early Look at Alexei Ramirez

The signing of Cuban immigrant Alexei Ramirez last December by the White Sox left many South Side fans at a loss for words. Outside of Cuban baseball circles, few had ever heard of the thin young man with the four year contract. After an impressive spring training, however, Ramirez earned a spot on the roster and has been with the Sox ever since, with less than sterling results. This is as good a time as any to take a look at his progress so far and see how those early questions have been resolved.

Cuba
Ramirez was born in 1981 in Pinar del Rio, Cuba. His first appearance in the Cuban League was in 2000, and he established himself more firmly the following season as a center fielder and, later, middle infielder with his hometown club, Pinar del Rio. Through his first five seasons, he recorded a cumulative .331 batting average, with 10 home runs and 53 RBIs a season (90 game season; the top hitters in the Cuban League regularly hit over .350). He was chosen annually to play in the more elite Super Liga following the regular season.

Beyond his regular season achievements, Ramirez was also a staple on Cuba’s entry into international competitions during the middle part of the decade. He participated in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, and went 6-16 during the 2006 World Baseball Classic.

Ramirez had a breakout season for Pinar del Rio in 2007, hitting .335 while leading the league with 20 home runs and 195 extra-base hits. At the same time, however, his place on the national team had become less secure due to pressure from several young prospects, most notably Héctor Olivera. Some analysts viewed his power numbers as a fluke, while defensively he had been stationed at second base, his least comfortable position, after a series of injuries to teammates. Questions have also been raised about his true size: Ramirez is variously listed between 6’1” and 6’3”, and 170-185 lbs. To the naked eye, he seems to belong toward the lower end of that range.

It was at this moment that he decided to leave his country and pursue his career in the United States. As Peter Bjarkman wrote at www.baseballdecuba.com, for the reasons stated above, “he may have left Cuba at the precise moment that his resume was at its fullest.” For his part, Ramirez expressed confidence in his power stroke, telling reporters that he “want[ed] to be a slugger” and had talked about it with Dominicans Alfonso Soriano and Juan Encarnación during the WBC.

Signing
Jaime Torres, the agent of both Ramirez and fellow Cuban Jose Contreras, indicated that at least six major league teams expressed interest in Ramirez’s services during the final months of 2007. On December 22, he signed with the White Sox, inking a four-year deal worth up to eight million dollars. Chicago was influenced by the recommendation of Contreras, who had played with Ramirez in Cuba and described him as much improved. The reaction in the Windy City ranged from disinterested to incredulous; a column by Greg Couch in the following day’s Chicago Sun-Times bore the title, “Are They Kidding?”. This reaction from the public had little to do with Ramirez himself, but rather the expenditure on a player hardly anyone had heard of—and this on the heels of the White Sox’ failure to sign Torii Hunter, who had expressed an interest in the team. General manager Ken Williams said that “if he’s right, he can very well be a plus-type player,” but scouts from around the league were less optimistic.

In his first pro game on February 28, “the Cuban Missile” introduced himself with four hits, immediately gaining the favor of skipper Ozzie Guillen. Although there were questions as to which position he would play primarily, his versatility actually seemed to work in his favor. Recently acquired Orlando Cabrera was penciled in at shortstop, but the White Sox were attempting to address question marks at both second base and center field, so Ramirez provided an option at each. He spent a good deal of time at second base, trying to improve upon a defensive skill set described by Guillen as “rough.” Commented bench coach Joey Cora, “I don’t think he’s played as much second base as we thought he had.” When the experiment failed to produce immediate results, though, he was placed back in center, and earned the starting spot for Opening Day. His final batting line for spring training was .358/.375/.582 in 67 at-bats. As Guillen put it, “…he did everything he was supposed to do to be on the ballclub and in the lineup. This kid has cold blood.”

2008Unfortunately for the White Sox, it’s not just Ramirez’s blood that has been cold thus far. On Opening Day, he earned a golden sombrero, striking out three times. On the bright side, he drew a walk, but has since gone six weeks without drawing another, quickly losing his starting job. Through May 15 he has appeared at the plate 45 times and hit safely just 6 times, scoring two runs and driving in three more. He recently missed a trip to Toronto because of concerns about his visa, and commentators in Chicago have begun clamoring for him to be optioned to AAA Charlotte.

It is difficult to find a problem by looking at Ramirez’s statistical record, as he has only played in nine complete games. One concern might be his tendency to fall behind in the count: he has been in an 0-1 count 27 times, compared to just 12 times in a 1-0 count. Hitting coach Greg Walker suggested that his struggles stem from a lack of at-bats, but also acknowledged that “if our regulars play well, then they are going to play.” Ramirez himself said that the pace of the game was presenting a problem for him: “They don’t repeat pitches as much here. I’m also watching how the game speeds up more than Spring Training.” On a positive note, his defense has been error-free at all three positions, and steadily improving at second.

As mentioned before, evaluators of Cuban prospects differed in their original assessments of Ramirez and his future in the major leagues. Through his first six weeks, he has given little reason to believe that he will be an everyday player, even granting that he pulls his OPS over .400. It may turn out that regular playing time at Charlotte is the best remedy, but thus far, Chicago’s management has shown considerable patience with its investment. In any scenario, as White Sox fans can attest, there is presently nowhere to go but up for the 26-year-old rookie.

Thanks to Kit Krieger, Peter Bjarkman and Sigfredo Barros for their generous help.

References: www.baseball-reference.com; www.mlb.com;
www.baseballdecuba.com; www.espndeportes.com; The Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun-Times , www.havanajournal.com .