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Atlanta Braves outside the box thinking for a Braves new third baseman

By Fred Owens

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 05: A detailed view of a base during batting practice prior to Game Two of the National League Division Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium on October 5, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 05: A detailed view of a base during batting practice prior to Game Two of the National League Division Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium on October 5, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Braves
Acquiring Jose Ramirez from the Indians would solve both the third base and lineup issues for the Atlanta Braves.. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Jose breaks out

The Atlanta Braves need power and Ramirez provides that. In 2017 Ramirez broke out, batting .318/.374/.583/.957, with 56 doubles, six triples, and 29 homers with a .396 wOBA, and  146 wRC+.

He made his first All-Star team in 2017, won a Silver Slugger award and finished third in MVP Voting. His batting average took a step back in 2018 as he joined the launch angle brigade.

He batted .270/.387/.552/.939, hit 38 doubles, 39 homers,  and stole 34 bases, to finish with a .396 wOBA, and  146 wRC+ again. He also repeated his third place in MVP voting, won another Silver Slugger, and played in his second All-Star game.

Ramirez had a miserable start to 2019, batting just .181/.281.276/.557 in April, .245/.353/.373/.725 in May, and .216/.290/.330/.620 in June. That changed when the calendar flipped to July.

Split AB H HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS
July 100 32 9 25 4 15 .320 .340 .680 1.020
August 78 25 6 20 7 15 .321 .372 .705 1.077
Sept/Oct 9 3 3 8 1 1 .333 .400 1.333 1.733
Total 187 60 18 53 12 31 .321 .356 .722 1.08

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

In that span, Ramirez ranked:

  • #8 in MLB with a .431 wOBA
  • #10 in MLB with 169 wRC+
  • #18 in MBL with a .321 BA

Offensively, he reminds me of Terry Pendleton when he joined the Atlanta Braves. He’s a switch hitter with power to all fields and no significant R/L differential over his career.  In the last four seasons, Ramirez posted fWARs of 4.7, 6.5, 8.0, and 3.3. Defensively he’s been a +3 DRS, 3.7 to 4.0 UZR third-baseman.

Ramirez signed an early extension with Cleveland and remains under team control for the next four years at an extremely team-friendly rate.

No one’s said the Indians would trade Ramirez, but no one from the Indians said they would trade Lindor either. If I’m going to send a package of three top player prospects and Major League-ready players to Cleveland, I want Ramirez, not Lindor.

He plays a position of need, has no problem batting fourth, is under affordable team control, and has success and experience in postseason play.

That’s a wrap

I admit this is completely outside the box; no one’s discussed either of these possibilities for the Atlanta Braves or anyone else. Of course, few (if any) predicted the Will Smith or Travis d’Arnau signings or projected Cole Hamels landing in Atlanta.

Next. Podcasting recent signings and the coming Winter Meetings. dark

It is far more likely that we’ll see a trade for a third baseman than a free agent signing, and that trade could easily be Kyle Seager and Mitch Haniger, or Eduardo Escobar. However, Alex Anthopoulos and the Atlanta Braves have operated in stealth mode and shocked a lot of folks so far. Who knows what they might go next?

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