Updated: Tigers trade Wilkin Ramirez to Braves for ... ?

by Kurt Mensching on Jul 31, 2010 4:31 PM EDT in Detroit Tigers News

Tigers outfield prospect Wilkin Ramirez was traded to the Braves for cash or a player to be named later just weeks after his appearance in the Futures Game.

Toolsy outfield prospect, Wilkin Ramirez's time in the Tigers organization has come to an end. Reports say he has been traded to the Braves for cash or a player to be named later. The Tigers have until November to decide.

The 24-year-old is currently batting .216 with a .605 OPS in Triple-A. He began the season in Double-A, in which he had a .245 average with .864 OPS. In 2009, he had a .264 average and .784 OPS in a full season with Toledo. He also had 11 at bats with the Tigers last season and hit a home run during his first major league game.

He was designated for assignment earlier in the week during a flurry of moves.

Ramirez has made repeated appearances on Baseball America's top ten prospects for the Tigers organization, including fifth (2006), sixth (2009) and eighth (2010). Recently made his second appearance in the Futures Game for minor league prospects at the All-Star Game. But this has been an organization that has made myriad changes at the minor league level. So possibly this is just continuing to clean out house. True, they needed a spot on the 40-man roster but they could have moved Clete Thomas to the 60-day disabled list if they felt Ramirez was an important part of their future.

Clearly he was not.

Given his lack of success, I don't think it's really worth spending much time worrying about this move. Not every prospect turns out. Maybe a new organization will help.

Be interesting to see if this turns into something interesting for Detroit. It probably won't.

Updated: A few comments via the Detroit News from GM Dave Dombrowski:

"He just has not developed to hit the breaking ball on a consistent basis," general manager Dave Dombrowski said about Ramirez. "Unfortunately the offensive progress wasn't there for us.

"But he works like crazy, and he might get it at some point. Hopefully he will. Sometimes a guy will benefit by a change of scenery."

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Comments

Larish was also designated and he's not out of options

I believe that the Tigs would have to call up Cletus before putting him on the 60 day DL.
He’d accrue service time, and he’d also get paid at a rate of $ 400 K instead of $ 65K.

How many times have we seen this story? A prospect with a garage full of tools, but lacks the plate discipline, or pitch recognition skills (not considered tools by the toolmakers) and he can’t get to the next level. Give me a prospect that shows the ability to hit a breaking ball and lay off one at the right time. A guy whose OBP is 100 points higher than his AVG. I’d still like to see Larish get a real chance to hit in the majors, and not be benched or cut if he struggles in the first 50 AB’s.

by Tigerdog1 on Jul 31, 2010 5:22 PM EDT reply actions

Agreed

Him and SS should be playing every day in RF/DH and 2B respectively- lets see if we’ve got something

Assist. Editor, Minor League Division, Bless You Boys

Daniel Fields is better than you.

by David Tokarz on Jul 31, 2010 6:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Sizemore was at 3B tonight for Toledo. Maybe the plan is to move him there for next year.

I can’t get my head around that plan just yet.

Wait til next year, again.

by Tigerdog1 on Jul 31, 2010 11:15 PM EDT up reply actions

I wish his agent would go kick DD's ass.

Somebody’s got to do it.

Assist. Editor, Minor League Division, Bless You Boys

Daniel Fields is better than you.

by David Tokarz on Aug 1, 2010 3:45 AM EDT up reply actions

Because, obviously, adjusting to just the big leagues isn't enough.

Ryan Raburn antagonist.
Scott Sizemore liberationist.

by 13194013 on Aug 1, 2010 4:17 AM EDT up reply actions

I can see that a team has to put players where they're needed, but really, this is about keeping Guillen at 2B?

Wait til next year, again.

by Tigerdog1 on Aug 1, 2010 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions

Ramirez for...

Jurrjens!!!!
Okay. So that’s not gonna happen…

Official President of the Team Jacob Turner Fan Club
Sabermetrics Padawan

by DetroitTigersGeek on Aug 1, 2010 11:59 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

You could get Nate McLouth!

But a PTBNL is always a minor leaguer.

Wait til next year, again.

by Tigerdog1 on Aug 1, 2010 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Often at the deadline, it's a player that was drafted last summer, but can't be traded until he's been signed for a year.

Wait til next year, again.

by Tigerdog1 on Aug 1, 2010 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions

but in this case it's not

because DD has until November to choose.

Bless You Boys.com

by Kurt Mensching on Aug 1, 2010 6:16 PM EDT up reply actions

Last summer meaning 2009, like a Jacob Turner

Jacob can’t be traded until one year after he was signed, or 8/17/10, but he could have been a PTBNL this season.

Sometimes, if they can’t agree, they just arbitrate it. Remember that Jon MacDonald was once traded by Toronto to Detroit for a PTBNL or Cash considerations, and they wound up with MacDonald as the PTBNL, so he was traded for himself, and the Tigs got a free rental, other than paying his salary.

Wait til next year, again.

by Tigerdog1 on Aug 2, 2010 1:22 AM EDT reply actions