The Mets have struggled to find themselves a quality catcher since they parted ways with Paul Lo Duca in the previous decade. Wilson Ramos was one of Brodie Van Wagenen’s biggest signings of the offseason and he made a huge impact during his first season in Flushing.
Wilson Ramos can really hit. If he could run at all he’d win a batting title. Good signing.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) September 8, 2019
Ramos played in 141 games, which was the most of his career. He was very productive, hitting .288 with 14 home runs and 70 RBIs. Ramos took off in the second half of the season with a .305 average and five home runs. His 26-game hitting streak headlined his red hot August. The increase in games did affect him towards the end of the season as he hit only .221 in September.
Speed Issues
It was very noticeable from Spring Training that Ramos does not have any speed. Ramos also hits a lot of ground balls and despite his lack of speed finds a way to keep a solid average. It will be interesting to see if he tries to elevate the ball more next season, since he will not be getting any faster. With the huge trend in baseball to aim for the home run, he is certainly strong enough to put plenty of them out.
New York Mets ace Noah Syndergaard says report he was livid in conversations with team officials is “completely false” and he has nothing but respect for catcher Wilson Ramos.
More from @jake_seiner >> https://t.co/zvLJ8ijSY3 pic.twitter.com/knkmCHAjUb
— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) September 10, 2019
The biggest headline surrounding Ramos was Noah Syndergaard’s demands to throw to a different catcher. Syndergaard did pitch better to other catchers, but the Mets did not meet his demands. Ramos handled the situation as gracefully as anyone could, which did not do anymore damage to their relationship.
He had his worst defensive year and only threw out 15% of runners. Most of it was more on the pitchers than Ramos, but he was definitely more useful as an offensive weapon.
Ramos’s Future
Ramos is under contract for next season and there is a team option for the 2021 season. The Mets do not seem to have any strong catching options near the big league level, so it would be no surprise to see him remain a Met for an extra season.
Overall he gave the Mets what they expected, but with below average defense.
Hitting: A
Defense: C-
Baserunning: D
Grade: B+