Wilson Ramos Just May Actually Be Who We Thought He Was
The Nationals traded for Wilson Ramos right ahead of the trade deadline during the 2010 season, acquiring whom they believed was their future franchise catcher. A year later, Ramos hit 15 home runs and 22 doubles in a D.C. uniform at the age of 23. He was going to be behind the plate for years to come, and might even contend for a Silver Slugger one day.
Then, in early May of the 2012 season, Ramos tore a ligament in his knee and missed over 130 games. He would return the following season, only to see a nagging hamstring injury limit him to 78 games. 2014 would not be too kind either, as he broke a bone in his hand on Opening Day and sat out half the summer.
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Entering last season, common thinking proposed that, if given a full season, Ramos would rise to the level of stardom that so many believed he was capable of early in his career. Ultimately, he finally got that full season, but the numbers just weren’t there. Ramos played in a career-high 128 games, yet struggled to a .229/.258/.358 slash line.
Now, in the final year of his rookie contract, Ramos may finally be putting things together. After undergoing eye surgery to correct his vision during Spring Training, Wilson Ramos has gotten off to an impressive start. He has an .885 on-base plus slugging percentage with four homers and eight doubles while sporting the lowest strikeout percentage of his career of 12.7 percent (Fangraphs).
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Will Ramos sustain these numbers? After all, he did have a 19-game hit streak early last year yet still managed to finish the season hovering around the Mendoza line. Between his low strikeout rate and career-high line drive percentage of 22.5 percent (Fangraphs), the numbers certainly suggest that Ramos is seeing the ball better. Not only is he making more contact, but he’s making better contact. Only time will tell, but for now, the Nats have a pretty damn good No. 7 hitter on their hands.