Milwaukee Brewers select right-handed pitcher Matt Ramsey from the Miami Marlins in the Rule 5 Draft
The Milwaukee Brewers punctuated the Winter Meetings with the Rule 5 Draft yet again this season, picking up three players between both the major league and minor league phases.
Surprisingly enough, the only selection the team made during the major league phase was left-handed pitcher Caleb Smith. The southpaw would have easily fit into the Brewers righty-heavy pitching staff, but instead was traded to the Chicago Cubs for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
Where the team built additional depth was actually in the minor league phase. From the Cincinnati Reds, they selected first baseman Art Charles, who should help to fill the glaring hole that’s gone unaddressed at the hot corner for a few years already. In addition, they also selected right-handed reliever Matt Ramsey, who seems to have quite a ceiling in terms of overall talent.
Although Ramsey has only reached the Double-A level at age 27, he’s shown considerable upside with some inherent kinks that still need to be worked out of his game.
Originally drafted in the 19th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft by the Tampa Bay Rays, Ramsey has already spent five years in the minors between the Rays and the Marlins, who selected his contract in 2014.
Despite the somewhat perilous designation of being a Rule 5 candidate, he has shown some serious potential throughout his minor league career. In terms of run prevention, he’s been nearly masterful, never collecting an earned run average above 3.28 in a season – although he did post a 3.86 during 2014’s stint in the Dominican Winter League. In fact, he’s been so consistent, his career ERA in the minors sits at just 2.06 and his walks plus hits per inning (WHIP) is only 1.207.
His strikeout numbers are equally compelling, as he’s amassed a career 10.7 per nine innings. But even that statistic may be selling his potential short. In 2016 alone, he put together a 1.99 ERA and 1.059 WHIP, striking opposing batters out at a clip of 11.5 K/9 – and that’s not even his ceiling. Multiple times in his career, he’s pushed up past 12 K/9 and finished a season with a sub-2.00 ERA.
Of course, with the positives come great unknowns. Unfortunately for the Brewers, Ramsey also comes with considerable risk. He missed the entirety of the 2015 season due to an undisclosed injury and has shown some instability with his walk rate, evidenced by his 4 BB/9 career mark and 4.5 BB/9 at the Double-A level.
But that’s not to say those are necessarily hindrances or elements that can’t be worked around. Even though he missed the 2015 season, he came back strong in 2016, posting excellent numbers across the board and showing no indication of long-term issues — although one year is a limited timetable.
And despite the worrisome walk rates throughout his career, Ramsey also rarely gives up hits. In five years of pitching, he’s put together an exceptional hit rate of 6.9 H/9 – by comparison, it puts him in elite company. Trevor Hoffman had a lifetime 6.9896 H/9 (No. 7 all-time) and Joaquin Benoit owns a 7.4239 H/9 (No. 31 all-time).
Of course, those are career numbers at the major league level and Ramsey’s nearly a decade removed from that kind of tenure, experience, or MLB success, but his consistency at least seems to indicate that he has a much higher chance of striking someone out or issuing a walk than letting them get a hit. With his run prevention skills, it seems even if he lets them on, they rarely reach home plate anyway.
The 2017 season will surely be a test for the 27-year-old flamethrower, as he’ll begin the year within the hitter-friendly confines of Security Service Field, home of the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox. If he’s able to prove himself there, fans may have a chance to see him pitch in Milwaukee before the regular season comes to a close. With any luck, he’ll be bringing that strikeout rate with him and putting the K back in MKE.
Jonathan Powell is the Managing Editor of Outside Pitch MLB and the Milwaukee Brewers writer. Follow him on Twitter @jonathannashhh.
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