Centerfielder Mike Ramsey, 29, was a 4th round pick of the Cardinals in 1987. In his first pro season, he hit ,315 in AA, but with only 1 homerun and 3 strikeouts for every walk. An identical 1988 season got him a short callup in AAA, but in 1989 he was back in AA.
Then, something happened. He upped his average to ,351 and hit 11 homeruns, for an OPS over 900. That could be considered good, but Ramsey was a 28 years old in AA, stuck in an organization who had Chili Davis, Darryl Strawberry and Jose Canseco in their outfield.
But then, he made the most out of his small opportunity. Strawberry can't hit LHP, so he must have a platoon partner. Veteran Otto Velez was that guy, but age catched up to him and it now seemed like he was no longer the answer.
With the trade deadline a thing of the past, and no other alternatives in the organisation, Ramsey was called up in September and given most starts vs LHP. He got his first hit right away, off no other than John Candeleria. But while his ,333 OBP was interesting, he hit only ,217 in 23 AB.
Then, Darryl Strawberry injured himself, leaving a place wide open for Ramsey on the playoff roster. While he split time with Herm Winningham, he did the most damage.
He got 3 starts in the first round vs the Giants, finishing with 4 hits in 9 AB, collecting 1 RBI.
Versus the Phillies in the NLCS, he got only two starts, but made the most of it, knocking two runs in game 6, on a double and a single. That helped send the Cards to the World Series. In the NLCS, Ramsey was 3 for 6.
Then, Ramsey started 4 of the 6 games in the World Series. After being 0 for 2 in game 2, he went 1-2 in games 3 and 5, before hitting a single and a double in 4 AB in the final game, scoring and knocking in two runs. He was 4 in 10 in the World Series, and a combined ,423/,464/,577 in 26 playoff at bats.
Still, the Cards seemed unimpressed, as they traded for Jim Rice to play his role.
He might be able to make the team out of Spring Training, but there's a strong possibility that Ramsey will never play again in the majors.
Mike Ramsey, the guy who collected 5 hits in regular season play, and 11 in the postseason...
Here are the results from the Mock Draft that was held earlier today. Thank you to the owners of Houston, Boston, Los Angeles and Detroit for helping out.
It was a very interesting draft, hopefully you'll find it useful as well. The CDL seems to have little to no love for MR types.
As always the results of the Mock Draft are for entertainment purposes only, please no wagering.
1 Frank Thomas - Toronto
2 Tim Naehring - Houston
3 Luis Gonzalez - Montreal
4 Moises Alou - California
5 Ray Lankford - Baltimore
6 Alex Cole - Cincinnati
7 Steve Avery - Oakland
8 Alex Fernandez - Mets
9 Rich Garces - Chicago White Sox
0 Carlos Baerga - Cleveland
1 Jim Neidlinger - San Diego
2 Delino DeShields - Chicago Cubs
3 Bernard Gilkey - New York Yankees
4 Chris Nabholz - Mariners
5 Hector Villaneuva - Montreal
6 Steve Chitren - Kansas City
7 Travis Fryman - Atlanta
8 Brian McRae - Minnesota
9 Lee Stevens - Detroit
0 Jeff Conine - Houston
1 Randy Tomlin - Detroit
2 Kevin Maas - San Francisco
3 Mark Whiten - Houston
4 Mel Rojas - Houston
5 Orlando Merced - Texas
6 David Segui - St. Louis
Round 2
1 Geronimo Pena - Toronto
2 Tino Martinez - Pittsburgh
3 Scott Radinsky - Montreal
4 Scott Chiampirano - California
5 Scott Erickson - Baltimore
6 Jose Offerman - Kansas City
7 Todd Hundley - Oakland
8 Dave Burba - Mets
9 Jeff Shaw - Chicago White Sox
0 David Hollins - Cleveland
1 Al Osuna - San Diego
2 Mike Simms - Chicago Cubs
3 Kevin Brown - New York Yankees
4 Leo Gomez - Seattle
5 Charles Nagy - Los Angeles
6 Chuck Carr - Kansas City
7 Chris Hammond - Atlanta
8 Sean Berry - Minnesota
9 Pedro Munoz - Los Angeles
0 Dave Hansen - Pittsburgh
1 Mark Dewey - Los Angeles
2 Phil Plantier - California
3 Rod Brewer - Minnesota
4 Bill Haselman - Atlanta
5 Turner Ward - Texas
6 Reggie Harris - St. Louis
If you made it this far, thanks and good luck at the draft!
1990 is underway with a number of deals made during the Free Agency period. Rather than start reporting on these deals in May and finishing up on these pre-season deals at the trading deadline, the ATR is on the job now, fresh from watching one of the greatest chokes in the history of baseball. (Game 6 was my favorite, since I was able to relive Game 4 of the 1929 World Series without the benefit of time travel.)
Toronto receives Ps Rick Aguilera, Lary Sorenson and Mark Davis.
Milwaukee receives 3B Gary Sheffield, 1B Paul Sorento, Toronto’s first and second round Amateur draft choices in 1991.
You know, if I didn’t love being a bully so much, I couldn’t analyze trades like this. Suffice to say, the Blue Jays made a blunder so great that you could say it was a decision of a World War I general and everyone would heartily agree.
There is no doubt Rick Aguilera was great last season. But he is going to be a free agent at the end of the season. Mostly, because the money that the Blue Jays will need to sign him will be tied up in Dave Henderson and Lary Sorenson. Lary Sorenson is carrying a horrible contract. $11,000,000 for a pitcher who is slowly marching towards adequate and no means of release until 1993 is a millstone for a team. A Millstone!!!!! And Mark Davis is a solid reliever, but isn’t exactly the guy you want to lead your team to the promised land.
Not only did the Blue Jays have to take on Sorenson, they had to give up a former first pick overall in Sheffield. Sheffield will probably be one of the better 3Bs in the league during the 1990s. Along with Bonds and Martinez, he forms a very dangerous middle of the lineup. Beyond this, the Blue Jays parted with a solid 1B in Paul Sorrento, who could be playing for the Brewers in the near future. More importantly, the Blue Jays gave up valuable draft picks. Raise your hand if you think the Blue Jays are passing the fully reloaded Red Sox this year. Put you hand down, Steve. Seriously, even with all the additions to the Blue Jays, the upside for the Blue Jays this season is 75, probably closer to 68. A big jump, but a draft pick in the top 12 at worst. Maybe even higher once the roof starts caving in. Thanks to Steve, the Brewers are officially the team of the 1990s.
Winner: Milwaukee
Cleveland receives RF Mike Davis.
Houston receives Cleveland’s second round Amateur draft choice in 1991.
The real barn burner deals begin here. Seriously, folks, it gets a lot worse from here. Mike Davis is an adequate outfielder when you look at his talent, but not when you look at his production. He does complement the other hitters the Indians added this year though. If Davis puts together a season like 1988, where he hit respectably for the Astros and Royals, he, along with Jason Thompson and Dave Winfield might provide enough offense for the Indians to win 85 games. That would be a step in the right direction for this once directionless franchise. And a second round pick isn’t a horrible price to pay for a player of Davis’s caliber. Though, the contract is a bit steep and long for a player with Mike Davis’s skill set. Both teams get something they need, which is good to see.
Winner: Cleveland
(Another choke job and another day after for good measure, I pick up where I left off.)
Los Angeles receives SS Bill Spiers.
Minnesota receives P Todd Stottlemyre.
So, who thought Bill Spiers was a good prospect? I know I didn’t. I was shocked to see that he should be both a fine hitter and a fine fielder. He can even fill in at second base, third base and the outfield. Along with Jody Reed, the Dodgers should have a very strong defense up the middle and are positioning themselves nicely for a playoff run.
To acquire Spiers, the Dodgers were forced to give up a top pitching prospect, Todd Stottlemyre. Aside for some weakness against the long ball, Stottlemyre looks like a top notch pitching prospect. Stottlemyre is still another year from being ready, but the Twins had managed to find a replacement for John Candelaria, who almost certainly would have put the Twins in the post season last year.
Both teams managed to add something they needed here. Stottlemyre is the more talented player, but oftentimes it is so hard to find a decent shortstop.
Winner: Minnesota
Chicago (N) receives P Mike Witt and Houston’s first round Amateur draft choice in 1990.
Houston receives Chicago (N)’s and Pittsburgh’s first round Amateur draft choice in 1990.
I’m not quite sure what to make of this deal. The 1990 draft is difficult to predict after the clear cut first pick overall. The question this presents is moving up in the draft worth a pitcher of Mike Witt’s caliber?
Mike Witt is an extremely talented pitcher. There aren’t many pitchers who are more talented. But one is also led to conclude that there are few pitchers who are as big of a disappointment. His best season is 1988 where he went a mere 13-7 in over 250 innings with an ERA of 2.70. But other than that, there are a couple of decent years with an ERA in the mid 3s, a year with an ERA just under 5 and five utterly horrific seasons in Toronto. The Cubs must feel that the real Mike Witt is the one who showed up in 1988. Unfortunately, even if that Mike Witt shows up, the Cubs are still a distant third in the NL Central behind the two powerhouses in St. Louis and Pittsburgh.
To get him, the Cubs had to part with the 2nd pick overall, though some of this pick was for moving up 8 spots from 20th overall to 12th. At the top of the draft, the Cubs could have gotten either an impact hitter in Ray Lankford or a future star pitcher in Steve Avery. If the Cubs were truly committed to rebuilding, they would have kept their high pick and continued to add stars to build around SS Alan Trammell. Instead, this deal makes the Cubs older and perhaps poorer in the future.
Winner: Houston
Houston receives P Al Leiter.
Philadelphia receives 1B Mark McGwire.
Who is Mark McGwire? Is Mark McGwire a future slugging superstar or is he a one trick pony who has great power, but will be hard pressed to hit .200 over 150 games?
I answer this question by saying both and none. There is no doubt that Mark McGwire has light tower power. He also has the ability to draw 90 to 100 walks a season. However, McGwire still has a weakness in his ability to get on base through basehits. The problem is that McGwire is at the most dreaded of ages, 26. He’s young enough that you will be tantalized into thinking he still has time to improve, but old enough to make you worry that what you see is what you get.
To get McGwire, the Phillies had to part with top pitching prospect Al Leiter. Leiter is one of the best young arms in the league. He has plus ability in avoid hits and striking out batters. His one weakness is that his control will never be better than average and he might struggle with it for a few years.
What is curious for the Phillies is that they had another option at 1B in John Kruk. Kruk has been sent elsewhere since this deal was made, but why would you want to give up a top flight young pitcher for a chancy 1B who could be great or could be merely adequate.
Winner: Houston
I hadn't planned on writing another article so soon, but while messing around with potential 1990 lineups I came across an interesting statistic, and figured I'd scour the team for a few more. For posterity's sake, here's the amazing stat that caught my eye after seeing my computer generated lineups:
Ricky Seilheimer hit .063 against left-handed pitching last year in 80 at bats, managing only 5 hits. But as is the case with Seilheimer, those five hits included three doubles and a triple.
If Ricky hits it, he's going to hit it hard, evidenced by his 42 extra base hits out of 72 total hits. His slugging percentage was twice his batting average. Had slap-hitting Domingo Ramos of Boston managed this, his slugging percentage would be .284 higher.
Seilheimer also, coincidentally given the topic, garnered more extra base hits than he did RBI (42-40), as did teammate Randy Asadoor (59-54). This shows just how bad the top part of the lineup was, seeing as Asadoor and Seilheimer generally hit in the middle.
Moving fully from Seilheimer to Asadoor, Randy may just have the worst eye in the bigs, with his 24 walks juxtaposed against a momentus strikeout total of 151. The team may have had the worst set of eyes in big league history, given that three players whiffed over 100 times with less than a third as many walks, and only limited playing time saved the team from ending up with six players with 100+ K's.
On the walks issue, new editions Bill Doran (career .342 OBP) and Dave Henderson (110 walks last year) should help out the team, and rumors have it that a first baseman in the rookie draft has a good eye and might be able to play right away. Joe LeFebvre notched a .375 OBP against righties last season and should be able to limit his action to them this year if he can stay consistent.
Few Blue Jays are as consistent as outfielder Glenn Braggs. In 1988, Glenn produced a .289 batting average and a .345 OBP thanks to 48 walks and hindered by 82 strikeouts while notching 162 hits and 13 home runs to help him drive in 71 runners. A year later, Glenn's batting average was .288, but 48 walks and 160 hits helped his OBP add up to .345 despite 83 strikeouts. His 15 home runs were a big factor in driving in 70 runs. Granted he played with almost the exact same teammates and in the same park and the same spot in the lineup, but it's hard to find a player that consistent. With a lot better players around him (albeit in less of a hitter's park), Glenn shouldn't come close to last year's numbers, but that remains to be seen.
Few platoons are as strange as the aforementioned Blue Jays' catching platoon until Chris Hoiles develops. Kirt Manwaring hit .311 with an OPS of .782 against lefthanded pitching last year but merely .203 with a measly .468 OBP against righties. Ricky Seilheimer hits .063/.273 as mentioned against lefties, but a much better .206/.656 against righties.
Though he faced only 830 batters last year, rookie Greg Harris allowed 14 triples as opponents slugged .497 -- no other Blue Jays pitcher allowed more than 5 triples.
Batters hit Joe Johnson hard this year, attaining a .321 clip as he allowed 300+ hits and lost 20 games for the second consecutive year. However, he allowed a home run less than every other start and only gave up six walks every five times he took the mound.
Tony Fossas gives new meaning to the term "lefty specialist" as the weak reliever held lefties to an OPS of .670 but allowed righties to hit .408 while racking up a 1.109 OPS.
There are fifteen pitchers on the Blue Jays' roster that pitched 67 or more innings last year, 11 that topped 97, 6 over 160, and four that reached over 200 inning pitched. Of these pitchers, five of them had earned run averages below 4, and only 6 had ERAs below 5. Hopefully prospects Greg Harris, Ken Hill, and Stan Belinda can step it up this season and give the Jays a staff 9 or more deep.
I suppose that's enough for you... GO JAYS!
With manager Whitey Herzog completing his second consecutive unsuccessful season at the helm of the Toronto franchise, the man upstairs has thrown down the ax and offered former Yankee and Indian outfielder Lou Pinella to join the club at the helm.
Lou had two cups of coffee in the majors, first in 1964 with the Orioles and then in 1968 with the Indians, but by 1969 he had found a permanent home in Chicago. After starting with mixed results for two years he became a platoon player and hit .310 in 1972 with more homers than doubles hitting almost strictly against situational lefties. He earned a big contract in 1973 but failed to deliver, dropping to .205 the next year. His best season in New York came in 1975, when playing full time he hit .290 with 11 home runs and 79 RBI. At the age of 37 he hit .244 full time for Cleveland, but he dropped off the face of the earth the next year with 1 hitless at bat in two games.
Lou's acceptance of the job was met with mixed reactions by the Toronto players. Starting corner outfielder Glenn Braggs called the hiring "comical." Expected starting center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. was thrilled to hear it, he is looking forward to working with a man known for his cool temper and understanding of young players. Bob Knepper was thrilled, because he is now the oldest man in the clubhouse, and Max Venable is still wondering why he's on the major league roster.
Look for more drama to come with Lou!