Wilson Ramos, Catcher, Texas Rangers

Date of Birth: 8/10/1987
Birthplace: Valencia, Venezuela

Wilson Ramos, catcher for the Texas Rangers, was first signed by the Minnesota Twins in 2004. He played in the Twins' minor league system from 2006 to 2010.

After seven games with the Twins in 2010, Ramos was traded to the Washington Nationals in July. He played in just 15 games with the Nationals that year, spending the rest of the season in their minor league system.

In 2011, Ramos played in 113 games with the Nationals. He batted .267 with 104 hits, 22 doubles, 15 home runs, and 52 RBIs. The following year, he had a knee injury that kept him out of the major leagues for most of the season. He played in just 25 games with the Nationals in 2012. In 2013, he was again injured and he played in just 78 games, batting .272 with 78 hits, 16 home runs, and 59 RBIs.

Ramos finished the 2014 season with 91 hits, 47 RBIs, and a .267 batting average in 88 games. In the postseason, he batted just .118 with 2 hits in 17 at-bats in 4 games.

Ramos was the Nationals' regular catcher in 2015. He finished the season with 109 hits, 16 doubles, 15 home runs, 68 RBIs, and a .229 batting average in 128 games. As a catcher, he made 77 assists, 1,026 putouts, and 6 errors in 125 games. He caught players trying to steal 44.4% of the time and he had a .995 fielding percentage.

Ramos had a strong season in 2016, batting a career high .307 and winning his first Silver Slugger award. In 131 games, he had career highs in hits (148), doubles (25), home runs (22), and RBIs (80). Defensively, as the Nationals' catcher in 128 games, he made 61 assists, 1,094 putouts, and 3 error. He had a .997 fielding percentage and he caught players trying to steal 37.3% of the time. He didn't play with the Nationals in the postseason.

Ramos signed a two-year, $12.5 million contract with the Tampa Bay Rays on December 12, 2016. He finished the 2017 season with 54 hits and a .260 batting average in 64 games. Defensively, as the Rays' catcher in 62 games, he made 38 assists, 469 putouts, and 4 errors. He caught players trying to steal 17.1% of the time.

The Rays traded Ramos to the Philadelphia Phillies on July 31, 2018. He finished the 2018 season with 117 hits, 22 doubles, 15 home runs, 70 RBIs, 80 strikeouts to 32 walks, and a .306 batting average in 78 games with the Rays and 33 games with the Phillies. Defensively, as a catcher in 96 games, he made 51 assists, 754 putouts, and 5 errors. He caught players trying to steal 29.2% of the time and he had a .994 fielding percentage.

Ramos became a free agent on October 29, 2018. He signed with the New York Mets on December 18, 2018. He finished the 2019 season with 136 hits, 19 doubles, 73 RBIs, 69 strikeouts to 44 walks, and a .288 batting average in 141 games. Defensively, as the Mets' catcher in 124 games, he made 50 assists, 1,051 putouts, and 7 errors, and he caught players trying to steal 15.3% of the time.

Ramos played in 45 games in 2020. He finished the season with 34 hits, 6 doubles, 5 home runs, 15 RBIs, 31 strikeouts to 10 walks, and a .239 batting average. Defensively, he was the Mets' catcher in 41 games.

Ramos became a free agent on October 28, 2020. He signed with the Detroit Tigers on January 29, 2021. He was released on June 20th. He signed a minor league contract with the Cleveland Guardians on July 6th. He spent time on the IL in 2021 with lumbar spine strain and a left ACL tear. He finished the season wtih 31 hits and a .205 batting average in 35 games with the Tigers and 9 games with Cleveland.

Ramos became a free agent on November 3, 2021. He signed a minor league contract with the Rangers on August 20, 2022.

Career batting statistics for Ramos through 2021 include:

• 990 games played
• 946 hits
• 151 doubles
• 136 home runs
• 534 RBIs
• 638 strikeouts to 245 walks
• .271 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Ramos as a catcher through 2021 include:

• 928 games played
• 465 assists
• 7,256 putouts
• 45 errors
• 27% caught stealing percentage
• .994 fielding percentage

Personal Life

In 2011, Ramos had a harrowing experience while in his home country of Venezuela. He was abducted and kept in captivity for two days before being rescued.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Wilson Ramos
ESPN - Wilson Ramos