Wilson Ramos, one bad injury from being the Nationals catcher
Wilson Ramos signed a contract with the Detroit Tigers, though he could’ve been one injury away from not leaving the Nationals in the first place.
After the 2016 season the Washington Nationals needed a catcher. After the 2018 season the Nationals needed a catcher. Aside from having Yan Gomes, the current Nationals team needs a catcher.
What if Wilson Ramos would not have been injured late in the 2016 season? What if the Nationals would have rewarded Ramos for his offensive exploits?
Ramos was diagnosed with a torn ACL in late September of ’16, after embarking on a career year at the plate. He was slashing .307/.354/.496 with 22 home runs and 80 runs driven in, at the time of his injury. Let’s compare that to J.T. Realmuto’s best offensive season, where he slashed .275/.323/.498 with 25 home runs, 83 runs batted in, and 92 runs scored.
For conversation sake, let’s say Ramos remained healthy that season and the Nationals brought him back on a five-year deal (same years Realmuto received this offseason, less money). This would mean Ramos would be in the final year of his contract with the Nationals this season, and would not be looking for a catcher to pair with Gomes.
This is all a moot point of course, though were this the case, and Ramos not have been injured in 2016, would they have tasted World Series success three years earlier?
Fun to think about, though too far-fetched to go into any more details.
We know where the Nationals sit, combing the bargain barrel for a catcher to backup Gomes. As for Ramos, he is the owner of a brand new one-year, $2M contract, with the Detroit Tigers. Ramos joins his fourth team since leaving the Nats in 2016, and heads back to the American League where he first broke into the Major Leagues in 2010, with the Minnesota Twins.
Next. When we least expect it, Mike Rizzo pounces. dark
He’ll try and rebound after a 2020 season where he produced his lowest batting average and OPS since 2015. We’ll be cheering for Wilson Ramos as we continue to wonder “what if” he wouldn’t have been injured during that 2016 season. “What if” the Nationals would have gone farther in the playoffs? “What if” Ramos would have signed a long extension to stay in Washington.