Random Ex-Brave: Horacio Ramirez

Sundays during the season, I randomly report on a minor league baseball player in the Braves system. However, I find that a little ridiculous during the offseason, but I still like the idea of discussing a random ballplayer. So, let's go back through the last 25 years or so and look at random Braves, both important and not. Today: Not All That Important.

I mean...Horacio Ramirez! Or HoRam. Or Chuck James before Chuck James. Or Damian Moss before Damian Moss. Or generic random lefty with a moderate amount of early success. 

Ramirez was drafted in 1997 out of Inglewood High School in California. He is still the only graduate of his high school to make it to the majors from the same school that Celtic great Paul Pierce graduated from. The 1997 draft was a forgetful one for John Schuerholz and his scouting department. Only four players selected from that draft made it to the majors and if you take out HoRam, that's all of 16 games. That could change because outfielder Cory Aldridge continues to seek a return trip to the majors (currently with the Blue Jays and playing winter ball), but anytime someone like Horacio Ramirez becomes the most productive major leaguer from a draft, you knew you had some big misses.

In the minors, Ramirez wasn't much of a prospect. Like many Braves pitchers in the late 90's, Ramirez did have some good numbers with Myrtle Beach, but his numbers were often not bad, but nothing set him apart from other more heralded pitchers except that he was left-handed. 

So, it was a surprise when Ramirez, who had not appeared above AA, jumped to the major league roster to open 2003. It was a perfect storm of crap that allowed for this to occur. The Braves had lost Tom Glavine to free agency, traded Kevin Millwood because Greg Maddux unexpectedly accepted arbitration, and had traded Moss for Russ Ortiz. The Braves were so concerned about their rotation that they had signed Shane Reynolds to add a "veteran presence" to the bottom of their staff. Also helping Ramirez was that the Braves, and notably Leo Mazzone, had tired of Jason Marquis. Ramirez did his job and pitched fairly well in camp and made the jump.

Ramirez's first season in the majors was best defined as "not awful" and that would be a consistent theme during Ramirez's time in Atlanta. He finished 2003 with 182.1 ING over 29 starts, including one complete game. His 4.71 FIP was a product of poor control and an inability to miss bats. Ramirez was counted on to be a cog at the bottom of Atlanta's rotation the following year, but injuries limited him to just 10 games, including nine starts. 

The left-hander from California came back in 2005 and pitched 202.1 ING, a career high. Such a career high that Ramirez would throw around 245 innings in the rest of his major league career. Ramirez also threw his final complete game and third overall. Plus, it was his only shutout as he limited the Cubs to just six hits in the first game of a double header. I recently blogged on what occurred in the second game. However, all was not roses with HoRam's 2005 campaign. He earned every bit of a 5.24 FIP, posting a 1.39 WHIP and a 1.4 HR/9. The Braves pitching posted a 3.98 ERA in 2005, good for sixth in the league, so I guess Ramirez wasn't terrible compared to the league.

Injuries limited Ramirez to 14 starts in 2006, though he wasn't good when he pitched anyway. After the season, Schuerholz made one of his notable trades during his final years when he shipped Ramirez to Seattle for Rafael Soriano. Clearly, the Mariners felt their rotation needed all the help they could find, but giving up Soriano for HoRam turned into a disaster for them. Soriano had a 0.98 WHIP in 162 games with the Braves while Ramirez...well, he sucked. I guess the number that really stands out to me is a 1.85 WHIP. It took the Mariners 20 starts to come to the conclusion that Ramirez probably shouldn't start for them.

Unsurprisingly, Ramirez was non-tendered and Dayton Moore was gleeful to sign him to the Royals. He was actually kind of successful in 15 games out of the pen and the Royals moved him to the White Sox in a waiver trade. Ramirez wasn't able to continue his success and a return trip to Kansas City in 2009 didn't help matters. After injuries took his 2010 season from him, Ramirez was able to get back to the majors with the Angels for 12 games to finish his major league career, but his 2.00 WHIP made it clear that Ramirez wasn't going to last long.

HoRam spent two years picking up some frequent travelling miles while playing in Korea, Mexico, the Atlantic League, plus a small stint in the Cubs system. His final start came on August 2nd, 2013 when he was the victor for Tigres de Quintana Roo in Mexican League action. 

Since retiring, Ramirez has returned to Atlanta as a coaching assistant who is in charge of instant replay protocol. Basically, the blueprint sees Fredi Gonzalez going out to shoot the shit with the umpire while a coach calls Ramirez to see if they should challenge the play on the field. Fredi was successful in 23-of-34 challenges last year so HoRam deserves credit for that.

Ultimately, Ramirez was a severely limited pitcher. He didn't have much velocity, nor great control, nor incredible stuff. He had guile and guts, but that will only get you so far. That "so far" ends up being short of 700 innings in the majors and a cushy coaching job after ending your career so that's pretty good. 

The Myth of Matt

When Atlanta allowed Matt Diaz to leave following the 2010 season, I had some mixed feelings.  I had grown to be quite fond of the guy we at Chopnation had nicknamed Magellan for his often strange ways of tracking down a flyball to left.  That said, for the money that Diaz could command, the results needed to be higher than Diaz had been able to muster in 2010 when he hit just .250 with a .319 wOBA and 0.5 WAR.  Atlanta rightfully non-tendered him, jettisoning him the same way they did Kelly Johnson.  Matty had some good years with the Braves, including three seasons of 2.0 WAR or better, and rightfully built a reputation as a left-handed pitching masher, but he had been paid $2.55M in 2010 and in arbitration, chances are he would have gotten a raise despite a bad season.

Diaz went on to sign with the Pirates for 2 years and $4M.  Good for him. 

And then, Frank Wren screwed me and brought him back in a trade last August 31st for some unGodly reason.  The Pirates chipped in some cash and the Braves would send pitcher Eliecer Cardenas to the Pirates a month later.  For what it's worth, Cardenas hasn't played this year because of injuries and isn't really a prospect to get too upset about losing. 

However, with Diaz back in the fold, the Braves had their left-handed pitching masher.  Yay!  Except, one thing.  Diaz wasn't hitting lefties with authority.  I mean, he hit .295 against them last year and while that is nice, only seven of his 32 hits went for extra bases.  A .692 OPS with no speed/defense does not make for a good platoon partner.  The previous year, he had hit .273 with an .830 OPS against lefties.  When you only have one skill that sets you apart from your co-workers, you better deliver that skill and Diaz was failing to do so last year.  Still, Wren got him because I guess (hope?) that John Schuerholtz told him about how Diaz was such a find all those years ago. 

Diaz was given the opportunity to redeem himself this year and wouldn't ya know it...he's not.  He's hitting .275 with a .754 OPS against lefties.  That's all well and good and everything, but often, the only reason he finds himself in the lineup is because the guy on the mound has the nerve to throw with his left arm.  Diaz is supposed to punish that guy.  A .754 OPS ain't cutting it. 

Having built a reputation, it's sometimes hard to shed that reputation whether it's bad or good.  Fans on facebook, Yahoo, DOB's blog, Atlantabraves.com, and a few mental hospitals in the greater Atlanta area still swear that Diaz destroys lefties.  He crushes them!  He pulverizes the shit out of them!  He grinds up their bones! 

But the results...they just aren't there.  And Atlanta is suffering.  Diaz against righties is a sad, depressing tale full of disappointment so the only saving grace is that he can destroy those tough lefties.  So far this season, Diaz is 3 of 28 against righties.  The dirty little secret is that you can try to protect Diaz, but eventually, he will face a righty and he's simply not suited to take on that task.  It's like Eric Hinske against lefties.  If you could bring both of them into a lab and mold them together, you might have a crappy bench player, but at least you wouldn't be holding up two spots on the bench for guys who supposedly have the exact same skill (severe platoon splits in their favor), but aren't producing.

Atlanta's bench has been a monumental failure this season and bringing back Diaz last year is looking like a mistake on Wren's behalf.  Something needs to be done about the black hole of WilDiSke.  Of the three, only Hinske can even say he has produced in the last three seasons.  Start with Diaz and Wilson and go from there, Frank.  Your team needs your wheeling and dealin.' 

Please, Frank.  You're our only hope.

How Awful is Jack Wilson?

Jack Wilson just grounded out as a pinch hitter in tonight's game against the Diamondbacks.  It was 2-2, the Braves were guaranteed eleven more outs, and no one was on base with the top of the lineup due up.  Fredi Gonzalez goes to Jack Wilson to get a rally started.

Don't think about that idea too long or your head might explode.  Jack Wilson is hitting .172 on this season in 36 games and 70 PA.  Does he get on base?  No - two walks.  Does he hit for power?  No - 1 2B, 1 3B.  Oh, so he's still an amazing defender, right?  Nope - negative UZR over the last three seasons with a -13.1 UZR/150 this season. 

I get that he had a history of being a solid defender with some outstanding seasons as a Pirate and with Tyler Pastornicky sucking it up as a major leaguer, the Braves needed a defensive option to be the Rev's caddy.  Andrelton Simmons, however, has been in the majors since the beginning of June and is a better defender.

I am Jack Wilson's Utter Lack of Ability.

Listen, I know I'm not privy to all of the insides of baseball.  Maybe Wilson is a great guy in the clubhouse.  Maybe he plays jokes and settles differences and gives awesome backrubs.  Like I said, I don't know.  What I do know is that Wilson is a beyond horrible ballplayer in today's game.  It's not personal, it's just a fact.  Why a team wouldn't change out a bad bench player for one that might be productive is beyond me.  I understand that currently, Wilson is the only Brave capable of playing shortstop behind Chipper.  But that doesn't mean you can't grab a shortstop-capable backup to join the bench.  

This continues to be one of my pet peeves.  Don't stick with bad ballplayers with no potential.  Move on and improve your team in every possible way.  I understand improving the 25th man on your roster doesn't have the same importance as acquiring a starting pitcher to stabilize the top of the rotation, but regardless, the Braves need to stop carrying Wilson because...

Well, it pisses me off.

That and he's terrible.  But still, it pisses me off.

Are the Braves Built to Win?

Several years ago, then-General Manager John Schuerholz published an ego-stroking book called Built to Win.  At the time, the Braves were coming off the "Baby Braves" year of 2005, a year that was supposed to jump-start the next string of playoff appearances.  Since that book was released during the spring of '06, the Braves have made one trip to October baseball and find themselves in the midst of a disturbing trend of loses.  On May 20th, Tim Hudson and the Braves shutdown David Price and the Rays 2-0.  Since that win, the Braves are 9-16.  By the way, that string includes a six-game win streak.  They have lost a game-and-a-half lead and now trail the NL East by 4.5, which is only possible because the Nationals are remembering that they are the Nationals of late.

Did the book create a curse or are the Braves just not built to win anymore?  Well, since I don't believe in curses, I am forced to look at what it holding the Braves back.  This is a team that has the fourth most valuable offensive player according to fWAR in baseball leading off.  Martin Prado follows with 2.9 WAR, good for 12th.  Dan Uggla has played some of the best baseball of his life, though you wouldn't know it by seeing the comment pages at Yahoo, MLB.com, or the AJC.  But, to their credit, those people are fucking idiots.  Jason Heyward's defense has been tremendous and his .339 wOBA has been productive, though the Braves justifiably were hoping for more.  Brandon Beachy has been great, though that looks like it has ended.  Tim Hudson's FIP of 3.08 makes his 3.90 ERA look much nicer and Craig Kimbrel has shown that, if not the best, he's among the class of his position.

That's a lot of great stuff, huh?  Well, outside the the whole Beachy injury.

Two things truly stand out quite negatively.  One, I only mentioned three pitchers.  Randall Delgado has turned it around a bit and we have seen some good things from Tommy Hanson and Kris Medlen, but that is about it.  Mike Minor has turned into a schizophrenic - sometimes good, sometimes bad, rarely just okay.  Makes a guy miss Russ Ortiz...and that gives me the shakes.  And really, outside of Minor, the rotation is the only good thing about this staff.  Jonny Venters has been a disappointment and his FIP doesn't show signs of unluckiness, though his xFIP gives some hope I guess.  Eric O'Flaherty is in the same boat.  Chad Durbin's results have been much nicer than the way he's pitched.  I guess Lispy has been decent, though.  Getting Meds back into the pen is almost a necessity because of how poorly the guys trying to get the game to Kimbrel have been. 

And let's not even go into the abysmal failure that has been the Braves bench.  There is no legitimate reason why Jack Wilson and Juan Francisco are in the major leagues.  Francisco's on-base is .243.  It would be all find and dandy if this was the Pirates, who took a chance on Brandon Wood figuring it out, but the Braves are supposed to be contenders.  You don't keep hoping Francisco gets it together while wasting at-bats and assisting the competition in beating you.  The demotion of Tyler Pastornicky means that Wilson's "job" as defensive replacement was voided.  The Braves are essentially keeping a guy whose main value now is that he bunts really nicely.  Matt Diaz has had his moments (I guess) and I give Eric Hinske a longer leash than many because, well, he's been exposed because of injuries.

Brian McCann has been in a season-long slump, though he has showed signs of turning it around.  Chipper Jones, between ugly-ass bruises and a second wife tired of his affection for Hooters (I'm guessing), has struggled since returning off the DL.  First, Freddie Freeman couldn't see and now he can't hold a bat.  Tomorrow, I imagine he will lose the sense of smell.

A lot of the above really sucks, but let's be honest, the coaching doesn't seem to be doing the Braves any favors.  There is a growing movement in social media to axe Roger McDowell.  I am not there yet, but I can see the validity in contending that McDowell isn't right for the job.  In his defense, he is dealing with a lot of young pitchers and the regression of Venters and O'Flaherty happening in the same year is a bit much to deal with.  That said, this is a results-driven business and his job is on the line during the second half.  Or at least, it should be.

But then, Fredi Gonzalez should be on the hotseat.  Gonzalez, who was at the helm during last season's epic collapse, has saw these Braves get an early start.  After a great opening to the season, with the offense no longer slugging or at least stringing together long at-bats, the Braves are no longer a front-runner and that does, in some part, fall upon Gonzalez's shoulders.  Listen, I do believe that we as fans tend to overdo the idea that the manager deserves all the blame.  I don't think it's all Fredi's fault, but some of the roster and game decisions have been so damn frustrating that it's hard not to think something needs to be changed with the leadership.  Playing short-handed rather than DL certain players, most memorably Chipper, hurts the team and with very little good reason.  I'd rather lose a guy for 15 days and have an extra spot on the roster, especially in the NL, than lose a guy for ten days and play with 24 men.  His usage of the pen has been downright mind-boggling at times.  His quick hook has hurt more times than it has helped and he doesn't seem to adjust to that.

The Braves are a mix of nice pieces and dead weight.  Beyond that, management seems incapable or unwilling to move this franchise toward bigger and better things.  The Bobby Cox-handpicked successor is a failure to this point.  Damn his winning record.  Most Braves fans feel, and I agree, that this team has just about as much talent as any contender, but the Braves seem destined to finish under .500 for the second consecutive month.  With every day that nothing is done to this roster or management, the feeling that this team is headed to yet another early offseason grows.  No, this team isn't built to win, but it's not a terrible squad either.  There is enough here to cobble together a Wild Card winning team, a team that, if hot, has the chance to go deep into the playoffs. 

But changes need to be made today, not tomorrow.  You can lose a shot at making the playoffs in June just as easily as you can September.

Juan Francisco: Cut the Cord?

Toward the end of spring training, I was without internet because of a move to the boonies and most satellite internet costs too damn much for too shitty service.  Ultimately, we decided on Verizon who offers internet via their cell towers.  It's pretty good and cheaper than Hughes.

To keep up with the Braves, I'd take my wife's laptop to wifi locations or use my phone.  Using my cheapass phone, I accessed the AJC's section on the Braves and saw that the Braves, amidst a flurry of last-minute activity, acquired Juan Francisco from the Reds in exchange for J.J. Hoover.  I saw Hoover a lot when he was in the Carolina League and thought he didn't have too much potential for a starter.  Others agreed and he was shifted to the pen last year and has pitched for the Reds this year in that role and has had some success despite an insane GB rate of 25.6%.

My first thoughts on the deal were overwhelming positive.  It was the kind of deal I would have made, to be honest.  Juan Francisco has serious, Major League-quality power.  From 2008-2011, his lowest ISO in the minors was .219.  If he could, if he could, if he could just learn a little patience and strikezone discipline, he could be a solid corner-infield bat.

I'm sure Reds fans thought that when Francisco first showed up in 2009 and had a super positive 25 PA that included nine hits and a nearly .500 wOBA.  He has the power, but could he put the rest of his game together.  A few days ago, I spoke of Andrelton Simmons ability to improve as time went by.  Francisco...not so much.

Sure, the ISO got even better, but his highest walk rate was a smidge below 5%.  Let's put that into perspective, shall we?  In his first full season in 2006, Jeff Francoeur's walk rate was 3.4%.  He played every game that season and stepped up to the plate 686 times to walk only 23 (and six were intentional).  Francisco compounded the situation with a strikeout rate that settled in the 20% to 24% range.  Even Francoeur did a better job at putting the ball in plate.  Now, Francisco kept hitting the ball and even hit .307 last year.  But as Crash Davis would have you know, they don't throw ungodly breaking stuff in the minors like they do in the majors.  Doubt he saw too many exploding sliders playing in Norfolk or Scranton. 

Francisco doesn't have the patience to stick around, nor does he seem either able or willing to change his approach to allow for that.  He has 99 PA with the Braves this season and has K'd in 31 of them.  Add the three amazing walks and you get a guy who just doesn't look capable.  He's going to hit homers and he could easily reach 20 as an everyday player.  But he's not going to on-base .300, nor is he even going to provide something resembling a competent defense.  He has the arm, but not the instincts.  His UZR is below average and that's even an improvement over the butchering of third he did last year with the Reds.  To make matters worse, Francisco seems to not give a shit that he's overweight.  I am, too, but I can't hit a ball 450 feet, either.  At least, not without some cheat codes. 

The idea was that Francisco had the opportunity to settle into a role with the Braves and, if things went well, he might be able to compete for the starting job.  Frank Wren reasoned that his kind of power was hard to find, especially at third base.  He's right.  But that's all Francisco is.  A glorified batting practice king. 

Cut the cord?  Absolutely.  I know it's only been two months and it must be tough to settle into a bench role as a young player when you've always been a starter.  Also, he's out of options and something tells me there is some team out there willing to give Francisco an extended look.  However, the book is out on Francisco.  Throw him fastballs out of the zone, but focus more on throwing him a majority of the soft shit.  He might get one that's hanging, but he'll typically be an out, either without making contact or with a weak grounder.

Bring back Jose Constanza and ever saying that disgusts me.  Bring up Stefan Gartrell.  See what Bill Pecota is doing.  It's time to call this experiment a bust and move on.