Finally, some news on the trade front as Aramis Ramirez has been sent to Pittsburgh in exchange for a minor league pitcher named Yhonathan Barrios (kids these days with their non-traditional name spellings). It’s hard to get excited about a Double-A level player who has yet to prove himself, but it’s better than nothing. Given the fact that Ramirez was not having a great year, combined with his hefty salary and impending retirement, the Brewers are probably lucky they got a living, breathing human being in exchange for Ramirez (presumably a physical will confirm that).
When Prince Fielder became a free agent after the 2011 season, Ramirez seemed like the only player on the market who could replace Fielder’s production, and in my mind he basically did…for one-and-a-half seasons. In 2012, Ramirez went .300/.360/.540 with 27 homers and 82 RBI – not quite on Fielder’s level at the time, but good enough to justify his spot as the Brewers’ cleanup hitter. Injuries sidelined Ramirez for a good chunk of 2013, when he only played in 92 games. He was better in 2014, but fell apart like the rest of the team down the stretch. In 2015, he got off to a rough start, although (to repeat one of Bill Schroeder’s favorite stand by phrases) he’s been better as of late.
In all, Ramirez finished his Brewers career with a respectable .284/.342/.473, 65 homeruns, and 262 RBI. Not a bad 455 days at the office.
When a player’s tenure in Milwaukee comes to an end, it’s nice to reminisce about some of their best games as a Brewer. Some players have obvious stand-out performances, while others don’t have any especially memorable moments. For me, Ramirez was a solid player and only a couple of really good games spring to mind.
In the category of “This Game Would Have Been More Memorable if the Brewers Had Won” is May 17, 2013 in St. Louis. Ramirez hit two three-run homers, giving him his highest single-game RBI total as a Brewer. Regrettably, the Crew went on to lose 6-7, but Ramirez held up his end.
[mlbvideo id=”27204407″ width=”400″ height=”224″ /]I’ve been going to Opening Day since 2009, and in that span the game that I recall with the most fondness is 2014. Yovani Gallardo had been an iffy Opening Day starter over the previous few seasons, but he turned in his best performance with six shutout innings. For Ramirez’ part, he knocked in the game’s only runs with a two-RBI double in the fourth inning. He also made a diving play on a ground ball and threw the guy out from his knees. Totally badass.
[mlbvideo id=”31723287″ width=”400″ height=”224″ /]Those games were fine, but there is only one that really strikes me as “special” during Ramirez’ Milwaukee run. You may recall that 2012 was the hottest year on record, so if you went to the ballpark you probably felt like you deserved an exciting – but hopefully short – game. You got half your wish if you saw the Brewers play the Marlins on July 3, 2012. Milwaukee led 9-2 after six innings, but after disastrous outings by Jose Veras, Kameron Loe, and K-Rod, the Brewers found themselves going into extra innings with the game tied 11-11.
Jose Reyes put Miami ahead with a solo homer in the top of the tenth inning, surely a huge punch in the gut to a tired crowd that watched their team give up a big lead. With two outs in the bottom of the tenth, Ramirez sent them home happy, and presumably exhausted, after 4.5 hours with temperatures in the mid-90s.
[mlbvideo id=”22805063″ width=”400″ height=”224″ /]That clip should be in every online dictionary under the definition for “clutch.”
Now that he’s moving on to the Pittsburgh, it will be another reason for Brewers fans root for the Pirates in the postseason (something we’ve done before). Best of luck, Rami. Go get those goddamn Cardinals.
(Image: Brewers)
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
