• Full name Cesár Ramos
  • Born 06/22/1984 in Los Angeles, CA
  • Profile Ht.: 6'2" / Wt.: 200 / Bats: L / Throws: L
  • School Long Beach State
  • Debut 09/16/2009
  • Drafted in the C-1 round (35th overall) by the San Diego Padres in 2005 (signed for $950,000).
    View Draft Report
    With three starters who have been drafted in the top two rounds the last two years--Abe Alvarez in 2003, Jered Weaver and Jason Vargas in 2004--Ramos has struggled for attention at Long Beach State. He was an effective No. 3 starter both years, going 18-8, 2.51 after entering the program as a sixth-round pick out of high school. This year, Ramos has taken over the No. 1 spot in the 49ers rotation and become the winningest lefthander in school history, surpassing Alvarez, who has already debuted in the big leagues with the Red Sox. Both pitchers have similar styles, but scouts say Ramos uses his stuff better than Alvarez. Ramos has excellent command of four pitches and walked 13 in his first 116 innings this spring. He's not overpowering with a four-seam fastball that sits at 85-88 mph and touches 90. His two-seamer has even less velocity, but more movement. But he's sneaky fast, throwing on a downhill plane with pinpoint accuracy. He has a knack for burying his fastball under the hands of righthanded hitters. He also has an effective slider and curve, and a serviceable changeup he uses early in the count. Ramos is frequently compared to Cal State Fullerton lefty Ricky Romero, who should be the first lefthander drafted this year. Romero has better stuff across the board, but Ramos has better command and is more consistent. He could be one of the rare lefthanders drafted in the first round with a below-average fastball.

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