Washington Nationals Wilson Ramos and the Torn ACL
As the season was wrapping up, Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos appeared to be primed for free agency. He was amidst a career year, batting .307/.354/.496 with 22 home runs through 131 games, and still just 29 years old. Then, on September 26th, Ramos tore his ACL. His season was over, and his free agent stock was badly damaged.
Instead of getting paid $60-$90M like he was expected to, it’s now likely he’ll peak around $30M. It’s tough to determine whether former Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos will be an effective catcher anymore. Few catchers have successfully returned from an injury this impactful to the knees.
One catcher I came across with similar stats to Ramos through their first seven seasons is Ryan Doumit. From 2005-2011, Doumit batted .271/.334/.442 with 67 home runs and 125 doubles. Across his first seven seasons (2010-2016), Ramos slashed .269/.313/.430 with 83 home runs and 93 doubles. Doumit’s bat was slightly better over that time, yet Ramos’ glove was superior. Otherwise their stats are very similar, and they were both catchers hit with a big injury.
Doumit suffered an ankle injury that limited him to 60 games in his final season with the Pirates. Following that injury, he never caught more than 59 games in a season again. Ramos is a year younger than Doumit was. Ramos weighs nearly 40 lbs more than Doumit, and they’re the same height. Doumit spent the next three seasons splitting time between catcher, first base, and DH before unofficially retiring in May of ‘15. There’s no guarantee that Ramos’ career with follow the same path as Doumit, but this parallel isn’t very promising.
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An ACL tear typically sidelines a player from baseball activities for approximately 5-7 months, according to a study done by Baseball Prospectus. At best, Ramos can resume baseball activities near the end of February. It could be until April or later, though that depends on how smooth his recovery goes.
He’s the best catcher on the market by a wide margin, however he won’t cost a fortune. It’s almost a sure thing that he will get a late start to the season, and it’s highly unclear how he will play upon returning.
It’s tough to gauge the market for Ramos right now. Rumors surrounding him are minimal, and he’s only been tied to the Washington Nationals thus far. It appears that teams are waiting to see how his rehab goes before making a decision on whether to pursue him or not. He recently tweeted several videos to display his progress, which is promising. But I do expect that teams will want to see a showcase or private workout for him to prove himself. As of right now, the Nationals are the only clear landing spot for Ramos. He’s familiar with the team, and they don’t have anyone in place to supplant him.
Working hard and come back strong pic.twitter.com/02vGyPt4oU
— Wilson Abrahan Ramos (@WRamosC3) November 17, 2016
Another option for Ramos is to sign to an American League team and split time at DH. If he does so, he will be going further down the career path of Doumit. That probably won’t be his preference, but if the money is right you never know. Catchers that move to another position rarely return. The aforementioned Doumit, along with Joe Mauer and Tommy Joseph are some of the more recent players to fit that description. Typically concussions spell the end of a player’s career behind the plate, but a torn ACL is surely a reasonable excuse.
Based on the pace of the market right now, I don’t expect Ramos to sign until after the new year. Until another team gets involved, the Washington Nationals have all the leverage on Ramos. If the market for Ramos remains quiet, don’t be surprised if he returns to Washington on a one year deal to recoup some value. I have identified a handful of teams that could benefit from Wilson Ramos behind the plate, and will be discussing them later this week.
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