Yohan Ramirez

WTM’s PLAYER PROFILE

2016
DSL:  1-1-1, 2.39 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 26.1 IP, 4.1 BB/9, 5.1 K/9
R:  1-0-0, 2.25 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, 4.0 IP, 4.5 BB/9, 6.8 K/9

In the DSL, Ramirez had a good debut despite weak walk and K rates.

2017
A:  4-5-1, 5.07 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 65.2 IP, 6.0 BB/9, 7.3 K/9
A+:  0-0-1, 1.80 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 5.0 IP, 1.8 BB/9, 7.2 K/9
AA:  0-0-0, 1.93 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 4.2 IP, 1.9 BB/9, 15.4 K/9

Apart from cameos at two higher levels, Ramirez spent the season in low A, splitting his time between starting and relieving.  He wasn’t easy to hit, with opponents batting .245 against him, but he struggled to throw strikes.

2018
A:  5-7-1, 2.95 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 58.0 IP, 4.3 BB/9, 9.6 K/9
A+:  1-1-2, 3.15 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 20.0 IP, 6.3 BB/9, 9.0 K/9

Ramirez went back to low A and, pitching mainly as a starter, had a much better season, with a higher K rate.  He spent the last two months of the season pitching in relief in high A and the control problems hampered him again.

2019
A+:  1-2-0, 2.89 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 43.2 IP, 4.5 BB/9, 14.2 K/9
AA:  3-5-1, 4.76 ERA, 1.51 WHIP, 62.1 IP, 7.5 BB/9, 12.9 K/9

Ramirez split his time between high A and AA, again starting and relieving.  He was hard to hit; opponents batted just .172 and slugged just .247 against him.  He also had very high K rates.  His control, though, was weak at the lower level and very bad in AA.  After the season, Seattle selected him from the Astros in the Rule 5 draft.

2020
MLB:  0-0-3, 2.61 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 20.2 IP, 8.7 BB/9, 11.3 K/9

Seattle kept Ramirez in the majors during the pandemic season, satisfying the Rule 5 requirements.  He was fairly successful pitching solely in relief, remaining very hard to hit.  Opponents batted just .130 against him, but he walked a batter an inning.

2021
AAA:  0-0-0, 4.15 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 17.1 IP, 6.8 BB/9, 12.5 K/9
MLB:  1-3-2, 3.90 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 27.2 IP, 3.9 BB/9, 11.4 K/9

The Mariners sent Ramirez to AAA to start the season, but he was up and down several times and pitched a little more in the majors.  He wasn’t very effective in AAA, due to walks, but for some reason he walked fewer in the majors.  Opponents in the majors batted .188 against him, but he had trouble with gopher balls, allowing one every four and a half innings.

2022
AAA (Sea):  0-1-0, 9.00 ERA, 1.50 WHIP, 6.0 IP, 1.5 BB/9, 10.5 K/9
AAA (Cleve):  1-0-0, 4.35 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 8,7 BB/9, 11.3 K/9
AAA:  1-0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.56 WHIP, 5.1 IP, 3.4 BB/9, 6.8 K/9
MLB (Sea):  1-0-0, 7.56 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 8.1 IP, 6.5 BB/9, 10.8 K/9
MLB (Cleve):  0-0-0, 4.50 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, 2.0 IP, 4.5 BB/9, 4.5 K/9
MLB:  3-1-1, 3.67 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 27.0 IP, 4.3 BB/9, 7.0 K/9

Ramirez opened the season in the majors, but he wasn’t effective and Seattle sent him to AAA at the beginning of May.  A couple weeks later they designated him for assignment and then sent him to Cleveland for cash.  He pitched only once in the majors for Cleveland.  In AAA with them, he allowed just three hits in 10.1 IP, but he walked ten.  The Guardians designated him for assignment on July 4 and the Pirates acquired him for cash.  After the deal, Ramirez spent a couple of brief stretches with Indianapolis, but otherwise was one of the Pirates’ most-used relievers in August and September.  He got fairly good results, with poor walk and K rates.  That’s likely why his xFIP of 4.16 was weaker than the ERA.  On the year in the majors, Ramirez had significant trouble with left-handed hitters, who put up an .883 OPS against him.  Right-handed hitters managed only .617.

Ramirez is yet another entry in Ben Cherington’s unending and, so far, extraordinarily unsuccessful fascination with waiver claims and the equivalent, especially in the bullpen.  He went into spring training as part of the competition for bullpen spots, but didn’t pitch well and was a relatively early cut.