On Tuesday afternoon, the Detroit Tigers designated catcher Wilson Ramos for assignment.
Ramos, 33, was signed by Detroit on a one-year deal worth $3 million this offseason. The former All-Star and Silver Slugger was hitting .220 with six home runs and 13 RBI’s in 120 AB’s.
Wilson Ramos to Miami?
The Miami Marlins are in need of a catcher, and Wilson Ramos could provide some help. Now yes, Miami does currently have three major league caliber catchers, but you could make the argument that the Marlins should sign another one. As of now, Jorge Alfaro, Sandy Leon, and Chad Wallach are Miami’s major league caliber catchers.
Jorge Alfaro, 28, is the Marlins starting catcher when fully healthy. The 28-year-old is currently batting .256 with two home runs and nine RBI’s in 86 AB’s. However, recent trends with Alfaro’s play aren’t necessarily encouraging.
Sandy Leon, 32, has been Miami’s backup catcher this season. The 32-year-old is batting .183 with one home run and four RBI’s in 104 AB’s. As shown by the numbers, Miami can definitely use an upgrade.
Chad Wallach, 29, is currently in the Marlins minor league system, acting as the starting catcher for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. However, the 29-year-old played in 21 games at the major league level this year. In those 21 games, Wallach batted .203 with 12 hits in 59 AB’s. Like Alfaro and Leon, Wallach is not essentially “lighting-it-up”.
Wilson Ramos may also fail to “light-it-up”, but he will definitely boost Miami’s offense and help a team that has one of the worst catching situations in baseball. Currently, Miami is 27th in home runs, 26th in RBI’s, 25th in runs, and 28th in slugging.