For the first time since the 2015-16 season, Cleveland Guardians star Jose Ramirez decided to put on his uniform and play Winter League ball in his native Dominican Republic.
Back then, he was with Toros del Este.
This time, however, he played for the Leones del Escogido after a trade that saw Vladimir Guerrero Jr. go the other way.
While fans were certainly happy to watch a global baseball star play, his numbers weren’t all that impressive.
Guardians insider Paul Hoynes summed up his winter performance in his most recent tweet.
“Jose Ramirez’s excusion into winter ball is over. He hit .219 (7 for 32) with one double, one homer and 5 RBI. He walked eight times and struck out once in 10 games for the Leones del Escogido,” he tweeted.
Jose Ramirez's excusion into winter ball is over. He hit .219 (7 for 32) with one double, one homer and 5 RBI. He walked eight times and struck out once in 10 games for the Leones del Escigodio.
— paul hoynes (@hoynsie) December 22, 2023
The numbers weren’t otherworldly, but one can see J-Ram is in a class of his own only by seeing his walk-strikeout ratio.
He actually struck out twice, but worked a whopping eight walks.
Ramirez has very good plate discipline, and for the Dominican League, it’s elite.
The pop wasn’t always there (just two extra-base hits), but he did have seven hits and scored nine runs.
His stint with Leones was short, but he gave the team a true on-base threat (.381 OBP) even though he didn’t quite catch fire.
He needed more time to get into a rhythm.
Still, the Guardians probably prefer to see him rest, or do some light workouts, from this point until the start of spring training.
He remains the single most important player on the Guardians roster.
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