Basic Info
Age (Opening Day 2011): 22
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 225 lbs
How Acquired: Cliff Lee trade, 2009
2010 Stats
I think the ERA is a little deceiving there. His 1.36 WHIP is decent and usually equates to an ERA much closer to 4.00. My guess is that if you looked at split stats, he didn’t do too well with RISP.
He also had hip surgery following the season, so it’s very possible that was bothering him during the year.
Scouting Report
Ramirez has 2 good pitches, a 92-94 fastball and a slider. He’s need to continue to refine his change-up if he wants to be a MLB starter.
If he can improve his change-up, he projects as a back of the rotation type guy. If not, his fastball/slider combo might be good enough for him to be a bullpen arm.
What to Look For in 2011
Whether or not he can get his ERA to match-up with his WHIP. It seems like he might get a little jumpy once guys get on base, something that plagued former Phillies’ prospect Carlos Carrasco.
Also, it will be interesting to watch how he pitches after surgery. We all know that just a little change in delivery can make a huge difference for pitchers, and it’s possible his hip was bothering him more than we know last year.
Grades (Out of 10)
Upside – 7
If he does develop a change-up and perhaps get a little more velo on his fastball, he could be a 2nd/3rd starter. But that’s a lot of projection for a 22-year old in AA. More likely a 4th/5th guys or a 7th/8th inning guy.
Production – 5
Middle of the road last year. Some great starts, some horrible ones.
Proximity to Majors – 5
Once you get to Reading, you can’t be that far away from the bigs, if you play well. But with Ramirez, he’s probably still a couple years away, especially if he sticks in the starting role.
Video
Pitching from the mound in 2009
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Pete – Out of the Cliff Lee trade prospects, do you think J.C. Ramirez is the most likely to have any impact on the ML level? I still can’t help but wonder if Brandon Morrow was available to the Phillies in that trade. He was traded a week later from Seattle to the Blue Jays for RP Brandon League.
Ryan-
Good question.
Hard to say w/o seeing how Aumont transitions to a reliever this year and how Gillies bounces back from his injury/drug problems last year.
At this point, I’d say Ramirez because I think if he doesn’t work out as a starter, he will make it as a bullpen guy.
Aumont’s control was SO messed up last year that I need to see him regain it before I have any confidence and Gillies has a long way to go to prove he play everyday.
Yeah, we had some people on here (perhaps you) wondering at the time of the trade why we couldn’t pry Morrow. Though on the other hand, if Morrow was good for us last year, we might not have felt the need to sign Cliff Lee back. You never know!
Also, wouldn’t Morrow have been a major leaguer right away? I know he has been both a starter and reliever in the past, so I’m not exactly sure where he would have fit with the big club. The point of the [2nd] Lee trade, per RAJ’s own words, was to replenish the farm for the future, hence asking for minor leaguers with upside like Ramirez over Morrow.
Am I trying to make an argument for acquiring a lesser talent or could this be true?