JC Ramirez

Throw just 33 times in 2019 Ramirez’ curveball is a fascinating curveball with a ton of filfthy movement.While the strikeouts haven’t come quite yet for it, it did hold hitters to 57.1 GB% w/ a .250 AVG and .625 OPS. If the stuff starts turning into strikeouts then we could be in store for a fun 2020 with Ramirez.

In 58 pitches, Ramirez’ fastball was somewhat effective holding hitters to a .238 AVG but unfortunately was a bit vulnerable to getting hit hard as evidenced by .238 ISO as well. The pitch is a bit too straight for your average fastball and doesn’t quite get enough strikouts to make it work long term.

Thrown just 15 times in 2019 Ramirez’s Slider lacks much of the vertical movement you would expect from a slider and got hit pretty hard for 1.000 ISO and a 332 wRC+.

Ramirez underwent Tommy John surgery April 13, 2018, and is projected to be back by mid-2019. Ramirez’s four-seamer was down 2.5 ticks in 2018 after sitting at 95 in 2017 and 97 in 2016. If the velocity returns, the pitch could return to the positive pitch it once was (4.5 in 2016, 4.7 in 2017).

Ramirez used his slider and curveball to complement each other. The curveball runs about eight ticks slower than the slider and moves just a little further gloveside (5.8 xMov vs 3.6 xMov).

Ramirez’s slider was down about 2.5 ticks in 2018, but the pitch has earned a negative pVal for the last four seasons.

It was a small sample, but Ramirez’s two-seamer was down four ticks in 2018. In 2017, it was an average pitch, earning a 0.4 pVal; however, it did allow a .224 ISO.