BRADENTON, Fl. – Clint Hurdle had one of the best responses this spring when asked a question about Harold Ramirez. The outfielder has been getting a lot of hits, including two of them today. As a guy who hasn’t played above A-ball, I asked whether this was impressive to Hurdle, compared to a guy in the Majors doing the same thing.
“Not really,” Hurdle responded. “It goes back to who he’s facing. We factor in everything. I think it’s great for his confidence. But why get ahead of ourselves. I’m in a different business than you’re in. I’m a crock pot. People have a tendency to be microwaves.”
As a prospect writer, I feel like I’m more along the lines of a BBQ smoker. I watch the meal for a long period of time, giving updates well before it is ready, and keep talking about how good it will be. While drinking a lot of craft beer.
In the case of Ramirez, he’s going to be a good player, but he’s also far from being complete. In the last year, I saw him take some big strides in Bradenton. He got in better shape. His arm strength improved to add value in right field. And most notably, he was one of the best pure hitters in the Pirates’ system. That last part has carried over to Spring Training.
Hurdle said that he hasn’t seen much of Ramirez in the past, but got reports of his progress from within the organization.
“Offensively, from what I’ve seen, I like the man in the box,” Hurdle said. “He’s what I call a ‘Bone Collector’. He gets base hits is what I’ve seen so far. Can play three outfield positions. Is learning things along the way.”
Ramirez hasn’t had a completely smooth spring. Hurdle mentioned that he lost a fly ball in the outfield yesterday after having no sun glasses. Today, he was doubled off first base on a bad running play.
“You see some different things. That’s all part of it,” Hurdle said. “Like the guy, like the aptitude, like the awareness, like the ability to hit and play offensive baseball. This is a great camp for him to gain some experience, and also to get ready for his season.”
Ramirez is only in camp for a bit longer. It’s inevitable that he will be sent down to the minors, where he will play with the Altoona Curve. But he is also playing for Colombia in the World Baseball Classic qualifier in Panama, which starts on the 17th. That will be another area where he can showcase his hitting.
For now, the takeaway here is that Ramirez is one of the best prospects in the system, and it’s easy to see why. He’s a Bone Collector. And Clint Hurdle is a crock pot.
Gerrit Cole Takes the Mound on Sunday
Gerrit Cole will throw a bullpen session tomorrow, and will make his first Spring Training start on Sunday against the Tigers. He will throw two innings in the start.
From that point, if he continues on a five-day schedule, and adds an inning per start, he would reach the five inning mark on March 28th, with his next start coming right around Opening Day. It’s too early to say whether he’ll be ready for the opener, but if he can get up to five innings, the Pirates could possibly bring him north with the club and limit his innings the first few times out as he completes his buildup process.
John Jaso to Get Some Backfield Work
John Jaso has been starting every other game lately at first base, but that will end tomorrow. He won’t play either game the Pirates have, instead staying behind to do some backfield work. Hurdle said that he’s going to be working on situations and fielding balls with runners.
“I think it’s equally important that we get the foundation in place,” Hurdle said. “Most people are worried about building him [up]. We need to establish routes and foundation for defensive knowledge and awareness, and then the games and opportunities will present themselves. We’re trying to do a little bit of both, and in the second half of Spring Training I think that’s when our focus will get a little sharper towards the game presentation.”
Other Notes
**Hurdle was asked about where the team is at with their offensive execution, but wasn’t concerned with the lack of hitting from the starters.
“I’m not concerned about that right now. We’re working on playing the game. The intent and the focus is where it needs to be. The results aren’t there. I think the mindset is to grab results. They’re working right, they’re practicing right. We’ll continue to do that.”
**Eric O’Flaherty had a rough first outing, but has looked better in his recent outings. Hurdle cautioned against putting too much on the first Spring Training outing.
“I have such a different lens than everyone else. We want to grab results right away. This is Spring Training. It’s why we have it. The delivery has become smoother, there was more downhill angle today. So we’re seeing things incrementally tighten up, and I think get to a better place.”
**Here are the lineups for tomorrow’s games:
#Pirates B game lineup tomorrow at the Orioles
A photo posted by Pirates Prospects (@piratesprospects) on
