posted on Saturday, March 22, 2008 3:16 AM
by
Jim
One player, many guesses, no friggin' clue
I
previewed Alexei Ramirez, which really isn't as much of a preview as it is a place to put down my best guess at his final 2008 line, since we've only known him for a month. I'm curious as to what you think he's going to do, because I'm 100 points of OPS under PECOTA, and there aren't any other projections readily available.
Here's another good example of how it's impossible to come to a consensus on this guy. First, via
SI.com's Jon Heyman:
Cuban import Alexei Ramirez (.366 this spring) has won fans in the
organization this spring with a strong offensive showing and obvious
athleticism, but a scout on another team said he believes Ramirez isn't
quite ready. That scout said, "He needs to go down to the minors to
learn how to play.''
And then via
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark:
"He's your eye-popper, based on tools alone," said one scout. "He's got
the whole package -- the body, the bat speed, hands, arm, body control.
How it translates remains to be seen. But when you think of players, he
just looks the part."
The thing is, they both could be right.
*************************
Here's a wonderful omen, if you're wondering whether the Sox will finally be able to hit left-handed pitching in 2008. Look at Barry Zito's spring line entering today, then stack it against
his performance against the Sox today:
- Before: 12.2 IP, 21 H, 24 R, 21 ER, 10 BB, 0 K
- Today: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
Ramirez, facing a curveball pitcher for once, struck out looking on one in his first at-bat. He also flew out to left (broken bat) off Zito, and popped out foul down the right field line later in the game off Keiichi Yabu. He did drive in Juan Uribe with a sac fly to provide a go-ahead run, although the Sox didn't hold the lead in the bottom half of the ninth.
Uribe is staying, by the way. If nothing else, the waiver attempt
provided Carl Skanberg some terrific fodder.