Harold Ramirez has 21 hits through his first 15 career games, the most ever by a Marlins player to start his career.
The only other Marlin to record a 10-game hitting streak within his first 20 career games was named the National League MVP last season.
So lately, Marlins fans have jokingly (maybe) started wondering if the franchise has ever had a better “H. Ramirez.”
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To quote Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, “That’s a bold statement.”
After all, a youngster named Hanley Ramirez once won a batting title and stole 51 bases in each of his first two seasons.
But while he doesn’t offer the same kind of power or base-stealing proficiency of his near namesake, Harold Ramirez is hitting a better clip than even Hanley was during his 2006 Rookie of the Year season.
Harold entered Friday night’s game in San Diego hitting .389/.431/.500 with a home run and five RBIs in 58 plate appearances.
Hanley’s offensive numbers over his first 15 games with the Marlins in 2006 don’t look too different: .344/.400/.594 with two home runs and seven RBIs in 70 plate appearances.
And that’s far better than what the Marlins’ only other position player to win Rookie of the Year, Chris Coghlan, hit through his first 15 games: .191/.291/.255, one HR, five RBIs. Coghlan recovered from his poor start and hit .321/.390/.460 with nine home runs and 47 RBIs in 565 plate appearances.
Hanley Ramirez hit .292 with a .833 OPS, 17 home runs, 59 RBIs and 128 strikeouts in 2006. He led all National League rookies in WAR (4.4) and runs scored (119) and finished third in the NL in stolen bases.
But, of course, such a hot start might not mean much big picture.
Hanley went on to become a three-time All-Star. But Coghlan never hit higher than .283 in the eight years he played after 2009.
According to FanGraphs’ ZIPS projections, Harold Ramirez will finish with the Marlins’ top batting average and hit .272/.316/.372 with five home runs and 31 RBIs in 354 plate appearances this season.
Such a finish would beg the question: Have the Marlins found another desperately needed bat they can develop for the long term as they rebuild?
The Marlins signed Ramirez, 24, last November, three weeks after the Blue Jays outrighted him following two seasons in Double-A where he hit a combined .268 with 17 home runs and 123 RBIs.
Ramirez originally signed with the Pirates in 2011 when he was 17 and remained in their organization until 2016 when he was traded to Toronto.
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Although it’s still a minute sample size, Ramirez has shown a solid approach (15.5 percent strikeout rate), and his .455 BABIP is second among NL rookies behind only the Braves’ Austin Riley, who has 59 plate appearances.
Ramirez, who also ranks 10th among NL hitters with at least 50 plate appearances in wRC+ (155), is responsible for two of the 21 balls Marlins hitters have hit at exit velocities over 110 mph. But his ground ball percentage is still very high (73.3 percent), which hurts his power numbers.
Marlins manager Don Mattingly credited Ramirez as one of the catalysts for the club’s improved offense after a historically dismal start.
Since Ramirez was called up from Triple-A on May 11, the Marlins are averaging 4.33 runs per game after averaging just 2.67 over their first 39 contests.
Ramirez ideally projects as a corner outfielder, which is where he played most of his career in the minors. Ramirez has started 10 games in center field out of necessity, with Jon Berti on the injured list and Lewis Brinson still in the minors.
Ramirez’s prolific bat has made him a much better option at that spot than backup Rosell Herrera (.216) or Curtis Granderson (.184), whom the Marlins would rather platoon in the corner outfield spots.
“I think what we’ve seen from Harold since spring training is a closed stance that he doesn’t get away from and that forces pitchers to go inside,” Mattingly said. “And a lot of guys don’t like going there. And then they miss, and then they try to go away, and then (Harold) can hurt you. He sticks to what he does and doesn’t let pitchers get him thinking too much.”
Catching up
Jorge Alfaro and J.T. Realmuto will be inexorably linked for the rest of their careers thanks to February’s Marlins-Phillies trade.
So, here’s a look at how the two catchers compare statistically as we head into June.
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Alfaro is hitting .278/.335/.457 with a 115 wRC+ and a .339 wOBA.
Realmuto is hitting .265/.321/.450 with a 100 wRC+ and a .326 wOBA.
For the season, Alfaro’s .391 BABIP is the best among catchers with at least 160 plate appearances.
Realmuto still has a decided edge defensively, though. He leads all catchers by far in Defensive Runs Above Average at 12.5. Alfaro ranks 14th (3.0).
Alfaro’s recent offensive resurgence has also coincided with the Marlins’ stretch of nine victories in 13 games.
Since May 15, Alfaro is hitting .390/.432/.683 with three home runs and nine RBIs after snapping a 1-for-27 stretch.
Alfaro, who is still striking out at a 34.1 percent rate, is struggling to handle offspeed pitches. Opposing pitchers have thrown Alfaro changeups 46 times and held him to a .077 against that pitch according to Statcast.
Down on the farm
Triple A: Outfielder Magneuris Sierra has been promoted from Double A after hitting .282/.337/.365 in 181 at-bats. The move came after the franchise’s No. 3 prospect Monte Harrison was placed on the IL with mild hamstring tightness. Once Harrison returns to action, the Marlins may be ready to give Lewis Brinson another chance in the major leagues.
Right-hander Zac Gallen (7-1, 1.70 ERA), ranked No. 18, continues to pitch well, but a call-up won’t come unless a spot opens up in the Marlins’ major-league rotation. With Caleb Smith’s start Friday against the Padres, all five Marlins starters have made their first 11 turns through the rotation without fail.
Marlins president of baseball operations Michael Hill said No. 4 prospect Nick Neidert (meniscus) will pitch again this season.
Double A: I recently visited Jacksonville to break down one of top prospect Sixto Sánchez’s starts and wrote about No. 17 prospect Jordan Yamamoto’s side gig as the team barber. Enjoy!
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Advanced A: Edward Cabrera continues to pitch like the ace of a deep staff in Jupiter with a 2.59 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 55 strikeouts and 14 walks in 41 2/3 innings.
A year later
I didn’t skip Single-A Clinton (Iowa) in the above section, in case you were wondering.
I just figured it was easier to give it its own spot since most of the top picks from last year’s draft — the Marlins’ first under the Bruce Sherman/Derek Jeter-led ownership group — are playing there.
OF Connor Scott, 1st round, 13th overall: While he’s shown some athleticism, extending singles into extra-base hits and stealing 11 bases, Scott is still struggling at the plate hitting .212/.284/.324 with two home runs and 16 RBIs in 179 at-bats.
Scott, who has struggled to impact the ball so far according to a scout, has a .271 BABIP in 197 plate appearances so far this season and a 52.3 percent ground-ball rate according to FanGraphs.
At 19 years old, Scott (the Marlins’ No. 5 prospect according to MLB Pipeline) is still one of the youngest players in the Midwest League and has plenty of time to develop his power.
SS Osiris Johnson, 2nd round, 53rd overall: Johnson, ranked No. 11 among Marlins prospects, is recovering from surgery for a right tibial stress fracture in late March and is not expected to play until the 2020 season.
C Will Banfield, Comp Round B, 69th overall: Banfield, 19, has already shown the physical tools behind the plate, arm strength and ability to manage a pitching staff that drew comparisons to J.T. Realmuto when the Marlins swayed him from honoring his college commitment to Vanderbilt.
Now, all that needs to catch up is his bat.
Banfield, ranked No. 10, is hitting .215/.254/.350 with four home runs and is striking out at a 30.1 percent rate.
A scout who saw Realmuto in high school and has scouted Banfield said that he may project to becoming a 20-25 home run per season hitter even if he doesn’t hit for average as well as Realmuto.
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“They’re very similar, both really athletic behind the plate,” the scout said. “But J.T. was so fluid everywhere even since he was in high school. That’s rare.”
C Nick Fortes, 4th round, 117th overall: In 19 games since returning from injury, Fortes is hitting .303/.368/.424 in 66 at-bats for Advanced-A Jupiter.
RHP Chris Vallimont, 5th round, 147th overall: Vallimont has emerged as the ace of the Clinton staff with a 2.43 ERA, 2.92 FIP and 0.88 WHIP in 59 1/3 innings.
All the draft info you could ask for
Can’t get enough content on the upcoming Major League Baseball draft?
- Check out my breakdown of the Marlins’ top first-round targets
- Check out my profile on Georgia prep star C.J. Abrams
- Check out The Athletic’s mock draft
- Check out an analytical look at the first round from Eno Sarris
- And here are a ton of stories previewing next week’s draft
(Top photo of Harold Ramirez: Raj Mehta / USA Today)