2011 Chicago Cubs: Career Years for Everyone!

[Internet Apex]

Just who the fuck is Max Ramirez?

Not exactly Mr. Current Events are you there, Pankard? And by "current," I mean 3 years ago, when people thought Ramirez was a rising star.

3)  Maxamiliano R. Ramirez --  23 YO (RH)  (2007 Trade Acquisition)

An unbelievable hitting machine, Ramirez -- acquired from Cleveland in the Kenny Lofton trade -- has been labeled a sub-par defensive catcher, but many observers agree that he's on the verge of becoming more than adequate behind the dish, and with the stick he brings to the table, adequate will be more than enough defense to make Ramirez an everyday player in the big leagues.

Ramirez projects as a .300 / .400 / .500 hitter.   You know how I can project those numbers?    Because he's always a .300 / .400 / .500 hitter.  

Always.

Signed by the Braves out of Venezuela in 2002, Ramirez  tore up the Dominican Summer League at age 18 in 2003.   He cruised comfortably through the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2004 and was the co-MVP in the advanced Rookie-level Appalachian League in 2005 when he hit .347 / .424 / .527 while making the switch to catcher from third base.

In 2006, Ramirez split the summer playing for two clubs in the low-A Sally League after the Braves traded him to Cleveland to acquire closer Bob Wickman.  He hit a combined .292 / .417 / .454  (at the same age in the same league back in 2001, Jason Botts hit .309 / .416 / .449 with extremely similar peripheral numbers).

Scouting reports from Ramirez's first two years behind the plate rated his defense as abysmal if not utterly hopeless, but this year, as he has raked over pitchers in the high-A Carolina League (more on that below), there are definite signs of progress according to one American League scout who told Baseball America's Chris Kline that:

"Ramirez is a guy you have to follow for a series or two to get a real feel for how much better he's gotten back there, though he's not a frontline catcher. He stands up when he throws, so there's a delay in his transfer and his feet aren't what I would call an asset.

"His arm strength and accuracy are both average, but his game-calling, his receiving have improved. He sets up pretty good and you can tell he's working to study hitters. This league has been extremely beneficial for him; seeing the same guys in an eight-team league. It's been huge for him."

Meanwhile, while his skills behind the plate seem to be improving this summer, his bat is more impressive than ever.  Ramirez, who goes about 5'11",  185 lbs., is third in the Carolina League with a .926 OPS while demonstrating an advanced hitting approach.  

According to the American League scout that BA's Chris Kline talked with about Ramirez:

"[Ramirez] smokes balls to right-center (as a righthanded hitter). I mean, he just wears out that gap. But there's also big power to that side of the field, which is impressive. He hits to all fields, he's not afraid to shorten up his stroke when he has to . . . he's just the complete package as a hitter. He turns on inside fastballs like nobody's business and handles offspeed pitches well. Great pitch recognition."

He's all ours now! Nice choice, somebody.

[J. Walter Weatherman]

Just who the fuck is Max Ramirez?

Not exactly Mr. Current Events are you there, Pankard? And by "current," I mean 3 years ago, when people thought Ramirez was a rising star.

3)  Maxamiliano R. Ramirez --  23 YO (RH)  (2007 Trade Acquisition)

An unbelievable hitting machine, Ramirez -- acquired from Cleveland in the Kenny Lofton trade -- has been labeled a sub-par defensive catcher, but many observers agree that he's on the verge of becoming more than adequate behind the dish, and with the stick he brings to the table, adequate will be more than enough defense to make Ramirez an everyday player in the big leagues.

Ramirez projects as a .300 / .400 / .500 hitter.   You know how I can project those numbers?    Because he's always a .300 / .400 / .500 hitter.  

Always.

Signed by the Braves out of Venezuela in 2002, Ramirez  tore up the Dominican Summer League at age 18 in 2003.   He cruised comfortably through the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2004 and was the co-MVP in the advanced Rookie-level Appalachian League in 2005 when he hit .347 / .424 / .527 while making the switch to catcher from third base.

In 2006, Ramirez split the summer playing for two clubs in the low-A Sally League after the Braves traded him to Cleveland to acquire closer Bob Wickman.  He hit a combined .292 / .417 / .454  (at the same age in the same league back in 2001, Jason Botts hit .309 / .416 / .449 with extremely similar peripheral numbers).

Scouting reports from Ramirez's first two years behind the plate rated his defense as abysmal if not utterly hopeless, but this year, as he has raked over pitchers in the high-A Carolina League (more on that below), there are definite signs of progress according to one American League scout who told Baseball America's Chris Kline that:

"Ramirez is a guy you have to follow for a series or two to get a real feel for how much better he's gotten back there, though he's not a frontline catcher. He stands up when he throws, so there's a delay in his transfer and his feet aren't what I would call an asset.

"His arm strength and accuracy are both average, but his game-calling, his receiving have improved. He sets up pretty good and you can tell he's working to study hitters. This league has been extremely beneficial for him; seeing the same guys in an eight-team league. It's been huge for him."

Meanwhile, while his skills behind the plate seem to be improving this summer, his bat is more impressive than ever.  Ramirez, who goes about 5'11",  185 lbs., is third in the Carolina League with a .926 OPS while demonstrating an advanced hitting approach.  

According to the American League scout that BA's Chris Kline talked with about Ramirez:

"[Ramirez] smokes balls to right-center (as a righthanded hitter). I mean, he just wears out that gap. But there's also big power to that side of the field, which is impressive. He hits to all fields, he's not afraid to shorten up his stroke when he has to . . . he's just the complete package as a hitter. He turns on inside fastballs like nobody's business and handles offspeed pitches well. Great pitch recognition."

He's all ours now! Nice choice, somebody.

I may have missed what you were trying to do there.

Who the fuck is Kent Mercker?'d?

[J. Walter Weatherman]

If Colvin or Fukudome or Fareed or Nando were to injure themselves, how big is the dropoff to the next Murton on the depth chart in Des Moines.

Is Jason Dubois still kicking around down there? I hear he's the next Jason Dubois.

And here I thought Micah Hoffpower was the next Jason Dubois.

Micah is the next Murton.

Go, you Ham Fighters.

[Oleg]

Just who the fuck is Max Ramirez?

Not exactly Mr. Current Events are you there, Pankard? And by "current," I mean 3 years ago, when people thought Ramirez was a rising star.

3)  Maxamiliano R. Ramirez --  23 YO (RH)  (2007 Trade Acquisition)

An unbelievable hitting machine, Ramirez -- acquired from Cleveland in the Kenny Lofton trade -- has been labeled a sub-par defensive catcher, but many observers agree that he's on the verge of becoming more than adequate behind the dish, and with the stick he brings to the table, adequate will be more than enough defense to make Ramirez an everyday player in the big leagues.

Ramirez projects as a .300 / .400 / .500 hitter.   You know how I can project those numbers?    Because he's always a .300 / .400 / .500 hitter.  

Always.

Signed by the Braves out of Venezuela in 2002, Ramirez  tore up the Dominican Summer League at age 18 in 2003.   He cruised comfortably through the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2004 and was the co-MVP in the advanced Rookie-level Appalachian League in 2005 when he hit .347 / .424 / .527 while making the switch to catcher from third base.

In 2006, Ramirez split the summer playing for two clubs in the low-A Sally League after the Braves traded him to Cleveland to acquire closer Bob Wickman.  He hit a combined .292 / .417 / .454  (at the same age in the same league back in 2001, Jason Botts hit .309 / .416 / .449 with extremely similar peripheral numbers).

Scouting reports from Ramirez's first two years behind the plate rated his defense as abysmal if not utterly hopeless, but this year, as he has raked over pitchers in the high-A Carolina League (more on that below), there are definite signs of progress according to one American League scout who told Baseball America's Chris Kline that:

"Ramirez is a guy you have to follow for a series or two to get a real feel for how much better he's gotten back there, though he's not a frontline catcher. He stands up when he throws, so there's a delay in his transfer and his feet aren't what I would call an asset.

"His arm strength and accuracy are both average, but his game-calling, his receiving have improved. He sets up pretty good and you can tell he's working to study hitters. This league has been extremely beneficial for him; seeing the same guys in an eight-team league. It's been huge for him."

Meanwhile, while his skills behind the plate seem to be improving this summer, his bat is more impressive than ever.  Ramirez, who goes about 5'11",  185 lbs., is third in the Carolina League with a .926 OPS while demonstrating an advanced hitting approach.  

According to the American League scout that BA's Chris Kline talked with about Ramirez:

"[Ramirez] smokes balls to right-center (as a righthanded hitter). I mean, he just wears out that gap. But there's also big power to that side of the field, which is impressive. He hits to all fields, he's not afraid to shorten up his stroke when he has to . . . he's just the complete package as a hitter. He turns on inside fastballs like nobody's business and handles offspeed pitches well. Great pitch recognition."

He's all ours now! Nice choice, somebody.

Any time you get a chance to get someone who compares favorably to Jason Botts, you gotta get that guy.

[Internet Apex]

Just who the fuck is Max Ramirez?

Not exactly Mr. Current Events are you there, Pankard? And by "current," I mean 3 years ago, when people thought Ramirez was a rising star.

3)  Maxamiliano R. Ramirez --  23 YO (RH)  (2007 Trade Acquisition)

An unbelievable hitting machine, Ramirez -- acquired from Cleveland in the Kenny Lofton trade -- has been labeled a sub-par defensive catcher, but many observers agree that he's on the verge of becoming more than adequate behind the dish, and with the stick he brings to the table, adequate will be more than enough defense to make Ramirez an everyday player in the big leagues.

Ramirez projects as a .300 / .400 / .500 hitter.   You know how I can project those numbers?    Because he's always a .300 / .400 / .500 hitter.  

Always.

Signed by the Braves out of Venezuela in 2002, Ramirez  tore up the Dominican Summer League at age 18 in 2003.   He cruised comfortably through the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League in 2004 and was the co-MVP in the advanced Rookie-level Appalachian League in 2005 when he hit .347 / .424 / .527 while making the switch to catcher from third base.

In 2006, Ramirez split the summer playing for two clubs in the low-A Sally League after the Braves traded him to Cleveland to acquire closer Bob Wickman.  He hit a combined .292 / .417 / .454  (at the same age in the same league back in 2001, Jason Botts hit .309 / .416 / .449 with extremely similar peripheral numbers).

Scouting reports from Ramirez's first two years behind the plate rated his defense as abysmal if not utterly hopeless, but this year, as he has raked over pitchers in the high-A Carolina League (more on that below), there are definite signs of progress according to one American League scout who told Baseball America's Chris Kline that:

"Ramirez is a guy you have to follow for a series or two to get a real feel for how much better he's gotten back there, though he's not a frontline catcher. He stands up when he throws, so there's a delay in his transfer and his feet aren't what I would call an asset.

"His arm strength and accuracy are both average, but his game-calling, his receiving have improved. He sets up pretty good and you can tell he's working to study hitters. This league has been extremely beneficial for him; seeing the same guys in an eight-team league. It's been huge for him."

Meanwhile, while his skills behind the plate seem to be improving this summer, his bat is more impressive than ever.  Ramirez, who goes about 5'11",  185 lbs., is third in the Carolina League with a .926 OPS while demonstrating an advanced hitting approach.  

According to the American League scout that BA's Chris Kline talked with about Ramirez:

"[Ramirez] smokes balls to right-center (as a righthanded hitter). I mean, he just wears out that gap. But there's also big power to that side of the field, which is impressive. He hits to all fields, he's not afraid to shorten up his stroke when he has to . . . he's just the complete package as a hitter. He turns on inside fastballs like nobody's business and handles offspeed pitches well. Great pitch recognition."

He's all ours now! Nice choice, somebody.

I may have missed what you were trying to do there.

Who the fuck is Kent Mercker?'d?

I give up. What was he trying to do there?

[Slaky]

I was in the car for Colvin's grand slam off a pitcher who more than likely sucks. Hooray.

[Internet Apex]

I was in the car for Colvin's grand slam off a pitcher who more than likely sucks. Hooray.

I was taking a nap and heard about on a voicemail my dad left. While I was alseep, Colvin hit a granny, Kentucky made the F4 and my cable remote started working again. It's like I was in a coma and have awoken to a very slightly different reality.

[Slaky]

I was in the car for Colvin's grand slam off a pitcher who more than likely sucks. Hooray.

I was taking a nap and heard about on a voicemail my dad left. While I was alseep, Colvin hit a granny, Kentucky made the F4 and my cable remote started working again. It's like I was in a coma and have awoken to a very slightly different reality.

From what I heard, Grabow is still terrible. Not that it should surprise anyone. He next on the Silva plan. That would be the following:

Make a lot of money
Suck at your job
Get cut while still making a lot of money

[Quality Start Machine]

I was in the car for Colvin's grand slam off a pitcher who more than likely sucks. Hooray.

I was taking a nap and heard about on a voicemail my dad left. While I was alseep, Colvin hit a granny, Kentucky made the F4 and my cable remote started working again. It's like I was in a coma and have awoken to a very slightly different reality.

From what I heard, Grabow is still terrible. Not that it should surprise anyone. He next on the Silva plan. That would be the following:

Make a lot of money
Suck at your job
Get traded to Cubs
Get cut while still making a lot of money

Forgot something.

[R-V]

So...sports.

Has Quade said who's starting at 2nd against lefties? Is it Barney with Dewitt banished to utility man?

And how is the right field "platoon" going to work? Is it going to be a straight platoon with one guy getting hosed or more matchup-based? It was a small sample but both Fukudome and Colvin hit lefties pretty well last year.

I ask these questions sincerely.

[Internet Apex]

So...sports.

Has Quade said who's starting at 2nd against lefties? Is it Barney with Dewitt banished to utility man?

And how is the right field "platoon" going to work? Is it going to be a straight platoon with one guy getting hosed or more matchup-based? It was a small sample but both Fukudome and Colvin hit lefties pretty well last year.

I ask these questions sincerely.

I sincerely wish I knew the answers to these questions. They are indeed burning. All I heard about the OF was one of the ESPN announcers, Sutcliffe maybe, saying that Quade told him he'd play Colvin in both right and left and that Byrd would play every fucking day no matter what unless he's hurt. Second base remains irrelevant and all options seem to be awful and retarded and bad.

[R-V]

So...sports.

Has Quade said who's starting at 2nd against lefties? Is it Barney with Dewitt banished to utility man?

And how is the right field "platoon" going to work? Is it going to be a straight platoon with one guy getting hosed or more matchup-based? It was a small sample but both Fukudome and Colvin hit lefties pretty well last year.

I ask these questions sincerely.

I sincerely wish I knew the answers to these questions. They are indeed burning. All I heard about the OF was one of the ESPN announcers, Sutcliffe maybe, saying that Quade told him he'd play Colvin in both right and left and that Byrd would play every fucking day no matter what unless he's hurt. Second base remains irrelevant and all options seem to be awful and retarded and bad.

I sincerely wish Colvin could play a passable CF. Would be nice to rest Marlon against right handers every so often without having to play Reed's corpse out there. And Marlon could maybe avoid the dogplop 2nd half he had last year if he got a day off every so often.

[Gilgamesh]

So...sports.

Has Quade said who's starting at 2nd against lefties? Is it Barney with Dewitt banished to utility man?

And how is the right field "platoon" going to work? Is it going to be a straight platoon with one guy getting hosed or more matchup-based? It was a small sample but both Fukudome and Colvin hit lefties pretty well last year.

I ask these questions sincerely.

I sincerely wish I knew the answers to these questions. They are indeed burning. All I heard about the OF was one of the ESPN announcers, Sutcliffe maybe, saying that Quade told him he'd play Colvin in both right and left and that Byrd would play every fucking day no matter what unless he's hurt. Second base remains irrelevant and all options seem to be awful and retarded and bad.

I sincerely wish Colvin could play a passable CF. Would be nice to rest Marlon against right handers every so often without having to play Reed's corpse out there. And Marlon could maybe avoid the dogplop 2nd half he had last year if he got a day off every so often.

And then we could trade Byrd for two high-level prospects.

[Saul Goodman]

So...sports.

Has Quade said who's starting at 2nd against lefties? Is it Barney with Dewitt banished to utility man?

And how is the right field "platoon" going to work? Is it going to be a straight platoon with one guy getting hosed or more matchup-based? It was a small sample but both Fukudome and Colvin hit lefties pretty well last year.

I ask these questions sincerely.

I sincerely wish I knew the answers to these questions. They are indeed burning. All I heard about the OF was one of the ESPN announcers, Sutcliffe maybe, saying that Quade told him he'd play Colvin in both right and left and that Byrd would play every fucking day no matter what unless he's hurt. Second base remains irrelevant and all options seem to be awful and retarded and bad.

I sincerely wish Colvin could play a passable CF. Would be nice to rest Marlon against right handers every so often without having to play Reed's corpse out there. And Marlon could maybe avoid the dogplop 2nd half he had last year if he got a day off every so often.

And then we could trade Byrd for two high-level prospects.

Or Peavy.

[PenPho]

So...sports.

Has Quade said who's starting at 2nd against lefties? Is it Barney with Dewitt banished to utility man?

And how is the right field "platoon" going to work? Is it going to be a straight platoon with one guy getting hosed or more matchup-based? It was a small sample but both Fukudome and Colvin hit lefties pretty well last year.

I ask these questions sincerely.

I sincerely wish I knew the answers to these questions. They are indeed burning. All I heard about the OF was one of the ESPN announcers, Sutcliffe maybe, saying that Quade told him he'd play Colvin in both right and left and that Byrd would play every fucking day no matter what unless he's hurt. Second base remains irrelevant and all options seem to be awful and retarded and bad.

I sincerely wish Colvin could play a passable CF. Would be nice to rest Marlon against right handers every so often without having to play Reed's corpse out there. And Marlon could maybe avoid the dogplop 2nd half he had last year if he got a day off every so often.

And then we could trade Byrd for two high-level prospects.

Or Peavy.

Or just pick up Castillo off waivers and fix everything.