Jose Ramirez is the Cleveland Indians' $50,000 lifesaver
OAKLAND – It’s probably just as well Nick Swisher and Mike Aviles are no longer with the Cleveland Indians. They would find it much harder to prank Jose Ramirez this time.
The two veterans were trying to teach the youngster a lesson in parking etiquette during the 2015 spring training when they relocated his car onto the infield at shortstop, Ramirez’s position at the time.
Now they would need a small fleet of vehicles, because Ramirez has evolved into a superb multi-position player who’s a major reason the Indians have the second-best record in the American League and a 5½-game lead in the AL Central.
Ramirez, 23, has played his natural second-base spot, along with shortstop, third base – where he has been stationed for the last month – and left field, where he helped fill the void created by Michael Brantley’s shoulder injury in the first half of the season.
While becoming the majors’ only player this year to make a start at all nine spots of the lineup, the switch-hitting Ramirez has shown remarkable consistency, batting at least .273 every month. He currently leads Indians qualifiers with a .360 on-base percentage while ranking second in batting average (.307) and steals (20). He also has 10 homers and 57 RBI.
“His numbers are really good,’’ manager Terry Francona said, “but he’s probably more valuable than the numbers because of his versatility.’’
Lately, Ramirez’s clutch performances have garnered him attention as his heroics made the highlight shows. The Dominican native tied last Friday’s game with a ninth-inning homer off Toronto Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna, setting the scene for Tyler Naquin’s decisive inside-the-parker.
Two days later, it was Ramirez delivering the game-winner, a two-run shot in the eighth to give Cleveland two victories in the three-game series – all were decided by a run – in a matchup of division leaders amid a playoff atmosphere.
The exploits in key moments were nothing new. Ramirez has a .381 average and a .923 on-base-plus-slugging percentage with runners in scoring position, and those numbers go up to .407 and 1.022 with two outs.
Though metrics proponents question the notion of a “clutch’’ performer, Francona believes some players are especially adept at dealing with pressure, and contact hitters like Ramirez – who strikes out only once every nine at-bats – are better in those instances.
“I’ve played in pressure situations in the Dominican. It hasn’t affected me,’’ Ramirez said in Spanish. “When there are runners on base, or with the bases empty, I just try to make contact, put the ball in play, and thankfully I’m having some success.’’
Considerably more than could have been expected from a player ticketed for utility duty in an infield that started the season with two All-Star-caliber players in second baseman Jason Kipnis and shortstop Francisco Lindor, and an established veteran at third in Juan Uribe.
Ramirez had batted .262 as the Indians’ starting shortstop for the second half of 2014, his rookie year. But his offensive performance dipped in the first two months of last season and he gave way to Lindor, a former No. 1 pick who went on to finish second in the AL rookie of the year race.
When Brantley did not bounce back from offseason shoulder surgery in time to start the season – he wound up playing in just 11 games before requiring a second procedure – the door opened for Ramirez, who had played the outfield just three times in the minors. He seized the opportunity, batting .310 over the first two months, and eventually moved to third base permanently when the struggling Uribe was let go.
“He’s switch-hitter and he can play all positions,’’ Kipnis said, “so there’s a lot of value in what he brings to the table.’’
And he brings an animated personality to the clubhouse, parading around with a curly, orange-hued hairdo he came out with after the All-Star break because he wanted to try something new with what he calls his “bad hair.’’
Kipnis said the hairstyle looks like a used tennis ball, but the self-assured Ramirez is pretty happy with it.
“He walks around with a confidence, let me put it that way,’’ Kipnis said of Ramirez’s clubhouse presence. “It’s almost comical at times. He’s got that George Jefferson walk, that swagger. But the better he gets, the more fun he gets. He does a lot of stuff that makes us smile.’’
That’s especially true of the scouting department, which discovered Ramirez in a worn-down Dominican field and signed him at the insistence of scout Ramon Pena, who was not dissuaded by his stocky build (5-9 and currently 180 pounds).
Ramirez received a relatively meager $50,000 bonus when he signed at 17, a year past the time when the high-level prospects typically turn pro in the Dominican Republic. But he showed enough ability and desire to make a quick ascent up the Indians’ system, reaching the majors late in the 2013 season at age 20.
“Sometimes when you sign for a lot of money, you relax a little,’’ Ramirez said. “And the one who gets less money may be more focused and work harder. That’s what I did. There are always people in your neighborhood who may say, ‘You’re too small.’ I never focused on that. I had confidence in myself and kept at it.’’
He has gained an admirer in Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin, whose club took two out of three from Cleveland this week before the Indians moved on to a four-game set against the AL West-leading Texas Rangers.
The A’s play matchups and platoon regularly, so Melvin has a keen appreciation for how valuable a player like Ramirez can be.
“This guy does a little bit of everything,’’ Melvin said. “He’s got some surprising power, he runs really well, he’s playing a position that’s probably not his natural position but he’s playing that really well. Those are the type of guys that really, over the course of a season, help your team win.’’