He won the award for going 6-0, with a 1.48 ERA in 11 games (10 starts) for the GCL Yankees. In 61 IP he allowed 10 earned runs on 33 hits, walked 16, struck out 53, and held opposing batters to a .159 batting average. He also threw had one three-inning scoreless appearance for the Tampa Yanks. Here's more from
Jonathan Mayo:
"He wasn't a high-profile guy, but he's kind of what we're searching for in Latin American pitching," said Mark Newman, the Yankees' senior vice president of baseball operations. "He had a feel for the strike zone. He can spin the ball and has a good feel for a changeup. He can get it up to 96 mph. And he throws strikes."
...
"There's some level of crapshoot of projection at any level,and it's a higher degree with the 16- to 17-year-old kids," Newman said. "No one's smart enough to hit it most of the time or all of the time. His fastball is getting better and better and he can locate it. He can get it to his glove side, a really good indicator of command for his age. There's a lot to like."
It will be interesting to see what the next step will be for Ramirez, who will turn 20 in January. The Yankees are not afraid to push a young pitcher to full-season ball if they feel he's ready for the challenge. That's what they did with Manny Banuelos. Granted, the left-hander is a different type of pitcher, but he seems to share a "know-how beyond his years" with Ramirez.
"He went from the Gulf Coast League to the South Atlantic League," Newwman said. "We think, right now, Jose is probably on track to do that. With the young Latins, Banuelos and this kid, we feel real good about those two guys. They're leading the way."
The Yanks really have a stocked the lower levels of their system with a lot of good arms. Well done, Cash.
