Wilkin Ramirez

WILKIN RAMIREZ
Date of Birth: October 25, 1985 (Age 26) Hometown: Bani, Dominican Republic
Position: LF/CF/RF Throws Right; Bats Right Frame: 6'2", 190lbs.
Acquired: Agreed to terms with the Twins as a free agent (November 17, 2011)


Statistics (BaseballReference.com)

Minors
AAA (5 seasons)1111 PA 1011 AB 36 HRs 62 SB 19 CS 311 SO .249/.309/.423
AA (4 seasons)901 PA 815 AB 40 HRs 39 SB 20 CS 270 SO .279/.343/.512
A+ (3 seasons)622 PA 583 AB 18 HRs 36 SB 8 CS 160 SO .252/.291/.401

Majors

2009	23	DET	AL	15	13	11	6	4	0	1	1	3	0	0	1	3	.364	.385	.818	1.203
2011	25	ATL	NL	20	30	26	5	6	2	0	0	2	0	2	4	11	.231	.333	.308	.641
2 Yrs				35	43	37	11	10	2	1	1	5	0	2	5	14	.270	.349	.459	.808

Summary - Wilkin Ramirez is an older prospect who has contributed to the Twins minor league affiliates greatly this season. Continued success could earn him a promotion if a spot opened up due to injury or a trade (Span) to a position player. Never considered a top prospect, Ramirez has spent plenty of time under the radar and polishing his skills. He's spent most of his baseball life as part of the Braves and Tigers ball clubs, but joined the Twins in the 2011 offseason.

5 Tool Analysis
Hits for Average- One of Ramirez's bigger problems at the plate is his ability to get on base. It is clearly indicated by a career minor league BA of .261. 2012 has been a surprising exception as he has been able to average .353 in Rochester, .388 in New Britain, and .267 in Ft. Myers.
OVERALL: No

Hits for Power- Wilkin Ramirez has a powerful swing and has belted 115 HRs in his 9 year minor league career. His ceiling may be around 15HRs for a 162 game season if he were to play well, often, and at the MLB level.
OVERALL: Yes

Baserunning- He's a speedy outfielder who has great instincts around the diamond. In addition, he doesn't get caught stealing often and is fairly efficient as well. Ramirez has totaled 164 stolen bases in his tenured minor league experience, but hasn't been asked to steal much within the Twins organization thus far.
OVERALL: Yes

Fielding Ability- Wilkin's speed translates into the outfield and he has a knack for tracking down fly balls. He ranks above average anywhere on the grass and can make plays with the best of them.
OVERALL: Yes

Arm- I'm not too confident in my knowledge on this area. I have never seen him throw, so I can say my judgement isn't the most reliable. However, he arrived on the scene as a 3B when he was just a 17 year old kid. The left side of the infield requires you to have a strong and accurate arm and it's possible he played there because his arm was an asset.
OVERALL: Yes (likely)


Strengths - Low ground ball rate/Speed/Pop/Excellent discipline

Weaknesses - Making contact/Could also draw a few more walks

Potential Upside - Wilkin Ramirez has very few weaknesses in his game and his performance with the Red Wings may be telling the front office that he has addressed them. I think he's worth an extended look in an MLB showing in a rebuilding year. Ramirez hasn't been given enough opportunities to distinguish himself as a AAAA player or a MLB one. It's quite possible that Wilkin could flourish as a full time major leaguer. Although if he were to disappoint, his athleticism may at least produce a useful utility man.

Expectations - The depth the Twins have at outfield is the biggest obstacle for a promotion at this point. A line like this seems fairly reasonable if he were to get promoted to the MLB: .255/.320/.400

2012 AAA Official Game Log
5/15| 2-4, 1R, 1 RBI
5/16| 2-4, 2 RBI, 2K
5/17| 1-5, 2K, 1 CS
5/18| 1-4, 1K
5/19| 2-5, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 CS
5/20| 2-4, 1 RBI, 2K, 1 CS
5/21| 1-5, 1 R
5/22| 0-4, 1K
5/24| 1-4, 2K, 1 CS
5/25| 1-5, 1R, 1K
5/26| 1-5, 1K
5/27| 0-4, 1K
5/28| 0-3
5/29| 1-5, 2K, 1SB
5/30| 0-6, 3K
6/02| 2-6, 1 R, 2RBI, 2K
6/04| 2-3, 1 HR, 1 R, 1 RBI


From: http://www.fangraphs.com/statsd.aspx...gde=2012-05-20

Ramirez has continued his hot streak at the plate in Rochester. He's currently hitting .385/.385/.500 in 26 ABs. Although this is great news, he hasn't drawn any walks, hasn't had any success stealing bases, and his eight strikeouts give him an uncharacterized (and EXTREMELY high) 30.8% Strikeout Rate. These are all minor flaws that will hopefully work themselves out. I'd like to see some dingers from him soon too.

Wilkin Ramirez is slumping in his 15 games for the Red Wings. He continues to flail at pitches and cannot work the count at all. Ramirez hasn't been able to muster any power and his last big fly dates way back to his time in New Britain. Instead of knocking on the door to the majors like he once was, Wilkin has completely backtracked after his performance over the past two weeks.