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Carlos Ramirez began his pro career as an outfielder with the Toronto Blue Jays organization in 2009.

cs_alumni_update_new_logoIt wasn’t enough for the Oakland Athletics to sweep a four-game set over the Toronto Blue Jays over the Victoria Day weekend, they also claimed righthanded pitcher and 2012 Vancouver Canadian Carlos Ramirez off waivers.

The native of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic burst onto the scene in 2017 by not allowing an unearned run over 37-2/3 innings at Double-A New Hampshire and Triple-A Buffalo. The 6-foot-5 hurler was called up to the bigs last September 1 and tossed two scoreless frames against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. Ramirez was not scored upon over his first 10 innings over seven outings. He finished the year with a 2.70 earned run average over 16-2/3 innings with 14 strikeouts and a WHIP of 0.54.

Heading into spring training, Ramirez was considered to have a shot at playing a key role in the Blue Jays bullpen in 2018 but a sore shoulder sidelined the 27 year-old for most of the spring. His fastball-slider combination was not working as effectively for him with the Buffalo Bisons when his 10 strikeouts was largely offset by eight walks in 8-1/3 innings, leaving him with a 0-1 record and a 5.40 ERA.

Ramirez was given a brief trial with the Blue Jays with back-to-back appearances in Minnesota and Cleveland. He walked a batter and struck out a batter against the Twins May 2  but he issued four walks and gave up a run in two innings at Progressive Field May 3. That led to Ramirez being sent back to the Bisons the next day before being designated for assignment May 13.

Ramirez contributed to the C’s Northwest League championship in 2012 as a right fielder. He doubled, scored twice and knocked in a run in a Game 1 victory over the Boise Hawks at Nat Bailey Stadium. He scored a run in Game 2 and drew a walk and scored another run in the deciding Game 3 at Boise Memorial Stadium.

Vancouver Canadians Carlos Ramirez

Carlos Ramirez batted .245 with 13 extra-base hits and seven stolen bases with Vancouver in 2012.

The 2012 season turned out to be Ramirez’s best season with the bat as he batted a combined .250 with Bluefield and Vancouver. A career batting average of .225 in the minors saw Ramirez move to the mound after stalling out in Lansing early in 2014. He would go back to extended spring training before a stint in Bluefield to end the year.

Ramirez had a 2.62 ERA with Bluefield but he walked five batters per nine innings in 2014. He spent most of 2015 with Lansing and was issuing nearly four free passes per nine. The walk rate remained a problem with Dunedin in 2016 with 4.5 walks per nine but he was averaging nearly a strikeout per inning during this whole time. The Blue Jays patience with Ramirez would pay off in 2017 but one has to wonder why their patience ran out with him in 2018. Athletics Nation calls the acquisition of Ramirez “a steal” for the A’s.

If Ramirez rediscovers his 2017 success with Oakland, you could say the Jays suffered five losses to the A’s during the Victoria Day debacle of 2018.

C’s Tweets

cs-tweetHere’s the latest round of C’s Tweets that piqued my interest over the past few days from or about Vancouver Canadians alumni including interviews, observations, photos and video highlights. This round begins with newest Lansing Lugnut and 2017 Vancouver Canadian Brandon Polizzi.

May 17

May 18

May 19

May 20