Phillies Top 20 Prospects for 2010:
#9 J.C. Ramirez, RHP

J.C. Ramirez is one of the 3 prospects the Phillies received in the controversial Cliff Lee deal. Like many Phillies prospects, he is a high risk, high reward talent with a great arm, but not quite the capacity to reach his potential yet.

Of the 3 prospects the Phillies received for Lee, Ramirez is probably the biggest question mark, putting up numbers that aren’t indicative of the stuff he has. However, he’s only 21, and has several years to develop in the minors and perhaps a change of scenery will help him reach that potential.

Basic Info

Age: 21
Height/Weight: 6′3”, 225 lbs
Hometown: Managua,  Nicaragua
How Acquired: From Seattle in Cliff Lee Trade

Stats

Ramirez’ stats don’t jump off the page, and they show that while he has a good arm, he has a lot of work to do. One thing to note though is that he played 2009 in arguably the worst pitcher’s park in all the minor leagues. His home ERA in 2009 was 6.78 and his away ERA was 3.09. That contributes heavily to his his ERA and his H/9 rate.

Scouting Report

Ramirez has a live arm, with a fastball that ranges from 91-96mph and usually operates around 93-94mph. His 2nd pitch is a slider (77-80 mph) with above average movement but below average control. Getting control of his breaking pitches is going to be the key to his future success. He also throws an average change-up but tends to favor the slider.

He has somewhat of a long delivery, and some scouts think that if he can’t develop his change-up as a 3rd pitch, his future might be in the bullpen. The Phillies obviously see him as a starter with a lot of upside, but he has some work to do to get there.

Ramirez reminds me of a less-accomplished Carlos Carrasco. He absolutely has the arm and stuff to be successful in the league (the very stingy Keith Law labeled him with #2 starter potential before 2009, the same label he’s given Drabek) but does he have the drive and mental toughness to do so?

Path to the Majors

Amaro has said that Ramirez will start the year in AA Reading, a very challenging assignment for a 21-year old pitcher. I fully expect him to struggle in his first season there as he tries to tweak his control against some of the best hitters in the minor leagues. 2011 will probably be the make or break year for Ramriez, after he has had a full season at AA, and a full season under the Phillies pitching coaches. If he succeeds, I imagine he would make his way up to AAA, and be a rotation candidate as early as 2012. If he doesn’t succeed, a bullpen move is likely, with a similar arrival time in the majors.

For prospects 11-20, and all other Phillies’ prospects posts, visit the Top Prospects page.

January 5, 2010