Ramon Ramirez

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Cincinnati Reds #17 prospect in 2009
  For a team that struggled for years to develop international talent, the Reds now have several interesting prospects coming out of their Latin American program. They picked up Ramirez in 2003 after he was released by the Padres, and the only real attention he drew came from a 50-game steroid suspension in 2006. A midseason promotion to Triple-A last season seemed to give him a new boost of confidence. His outstanding changeup got even sharper and some scouts rate it as an 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale. He maintains his arm speed with the pitch, commands it, keeps it down in the zone and has the confidence to throw it at any time. It also has the fade to generate swings and misses. The rest of Ramirez's pitches are pretty average, though his changeup makes them play up. He throws an 89-92 mph fastball, a 79-82 mph slider and an inconsistent curveball, and his command of those pitches doesn't match that of his changeup. Some question whether his reliance on the changeup will work as a starter over the long term--he threw nearly 50 percent changeups in the big leagues--but it was quite effective in his big league audition late in the season. Ramirez will be in the thick of the race to be Cincinnati's fifth starter, and if he doesn't win that job, his fastball/changeup combo also would be effective out of the bullpen.