Bullpen hopefuls: Edwar Ramirez
by Ed Valentine on Feb 12, 2010 11:00 AM EST
in New York Yankees Analysis
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PrintAs we have been discussing New York Yankee bullpen candidates one guy we have not mentioned is a pitcher we have seen quite a bit of in the Bronx the past three seasons.
That would be Edwar Ramirez, the beanpole skinny right-handed changeup specialist.
i have to admit I love the guy. Maybe it is because he doesn't look like a major-league pitcher. Maybe it is the unconventional repertoire. Maybe it is the back story which saw him get bounced out of pro ball, teach himself the changeup and pitch his back to the big leagues.
Maybe it is all of the above. Ramirez, though, is a guy I have always rooted for. I have wanted him to succeed ever since Joe Torre buried and embarrassed him by not using him for something like three weeks in 2007.
Question is, has the Good Ship Edwar already sailed? In other words, is Ramirez -- now 28 -- already out of realistic chances to be a productive, trusted member of the Yankee bullpen?
We know the Ramirez story. Absolutely devastating changeup, but really not much to go with it. An average to below average fastball that he really doesn't trust, and a little slider that is hardly more than a "show me" pitch.
If Ramirez, 28, is going to get big-league hitters out, he has to do it with his changeup.
In 2008 he was able to throw strikes and do just that, even sometimes being used by Girardi in lieu of a left-handed specialist. He appeared in 55 games with a very respectable 3.90 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and held hitters to a .215 batting average. He surrendered 7 home runs in 55 innings.
In 2009, things did not go as well for Edwar. He made the team out of Spring Training, but was quickly banished to Scranton -- victimized by poor control and an inability to keep balls from flying over the short right-field porch in Yankee Stadium. He surrendered 6 home runs in just 22 innings, hitters rocked him for a .281 average, he walekd 18 hitters in 22 innings and pitched to an ERA of 5.73. He spent most of the season in AAA.
So, which Edwar is the real deal? And, will he be given another real chance to show what he can do in the Bronx?
To be honest, I'm not sure about the answer to either question.
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Question is, has the Good Ship Edwar already sailed?
Yes, they just sit on his changeup now…Hitters have no fear of his fastball, got away with it when he first came up but…
My nephew has a Edwar autograph he got at the game 2 yrs ago.
My nephew is 9 and none of us here even come close to being the fan that kid is.So for Carson’s sake,Edwar please get back and kick ass.You would make 1 small boy very happy.
I feel like a clown without my funny nose.They say that dead men don't pull triggers,I will prove em wrong.There are cracks on the roads we laid where the temple fell where secrets have gone mad.
by cashman bashman on Feb 12, 2010 11:00 PM EST up reply actions
The only chance he has...
Is to teach himself another pitch. The knucklball. Otherwise he better call dibs on a nice cozy seat in the back of the bus.
I remember reading a couple of years ago that Ramirez’s stats were much better when he followed a power pitcher. The theory being that his changeup was much harder to hit after having seen mid-90s fastballs for a couple of at-bats. I don’t know if the 2008 and 2009 numbers bear that out, but if he does make the team, it seems like he’d be best suited to pitch after Sabathia, Burnett or Joba (fingers crossed) and get some 6th or 7th inning outs.
by long time listener on Feb 12, 2010 2:28 PM EST reply actions
Like you Ed
I’ve always loved Edwar. He was one of the most trusted relievers for Joe Girardi in 2008, and he had alarmingly high strikeout rates, which is unusual for a finesse pitcher like he is.
I think that Ramirez needs to improve locating his fastball to the level he had in 2008. In 2008, he was able to locate the fastball and get ahead, which makes his changeup much more effective. When he’s not locating his fastball, he’s falling behind. Thats when hitters can sit on his changeup, and take him deep. That was why he struggled in 2009. So if Edwar can locate his fastball to the level he did in 2008 (can’t be too hard), then I have no doubt that he’s capable of being successful again.
Right now the Yankee bullpen has one open spot. They have 5 locks. Thats Rivera, Robertson, Marte, Joba/Hughes, and Aceves. I think that Mitre and Gaudin will battle for the long relief spot (I don’t buy that either of them will have a shot at starting), and I think that there will be a battle between a bunch of relievers for the last spot. Melancon, Albaladejo, Sanchez, ect. Edwar should have a shot at getting that last spot. And I think, due to his success in 2008, he should get a bit of an edge.
I’ve always liked this guy, and I’m rooting for him to get that last spot.
I love Edwar ever since I saw one game in '08
Where he, Hughes and Roberston each struck out the side in 6-7-8th innings. Ever since, I’ve gotten the feeling that he really does have a nasty change-up. He definitely isn’t a favorite, but getting that last sport might not be such a stretch.
I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle - victorious.
Vince Lombardi
Great change but...
He doesn’t have anything else. To be an effective change-up pitcher you need at least a decent fastball that you can locate to prevent hitters from sitting on the change. Edwar hasn’t shown that he has that which is why hitters were able to figure him out about halfway through ’08.
by Let's Talk About Tex Baby on Feb 12, 2010 3:47 PM EST reply actions
Yep
He just doesn’t have anything that he has been able to use consistently to keep hitters off the change. And when he throws 5-6 change-ups in a row that is just begging for trouble.
by Ed Valentine on Feb 12, 2010 3:55 PM EST up reply actions
I Like Edwar Alot But I Dont Trust Him
I dont want him pitching in a big spot. He just doesnt have anything to go with that changeup.
With the game on the line......
I don’t think he can get it done…
And with a big game on the line……. Robertson and Mo are the only two i trust.
Huges and Joba were both shakey when it counted.
Ace is the long reliever IMO…..
Anyone else…… has alot to prove
by Gangsta Yanksta on Feb 12, 2010 5:11 PM EST reply actions
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