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Baltimore Orioles acquire a young pitcher at the trade deadline

By Kristen Bentley |
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 10: The hat and glove of Delmon Young #27 of the Baltimore Orioles sits in the dugout during the third inning of the Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 10, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 10: The hat and glove of Delmon Young #27 of the Baltimore Orioles sits in the dugout during the third inning of the Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 10, 2014 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

Instead of making big moves at the trade deadline, the Baltimore Orioles quietly acquired a pitcher from the New York Yankees.

The Baltimore Orioles traded away more international signing money to get Yefry Ramirez from the New York Yankees.

This right handed pitcher was in the Yankees farm system playing for the Double-A Trenton Thunder. He is expected to join the Double-A Bowie Baysox

Ramirez was on the Yankee’s 40-man roster and by moving him, the Yankees created space for a bigger trade: Sonny Gray. The Ramirez trade was reported through several outlets.

So, who is Ramirez? He’s a versatile right-handed pitcher who can also play third and first bases. He’s 23 years old and from the Dominican Republic. He has played in a variety of minor league and international league teams where he excelled on the mound.

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In his minor league career, he has an ERA of 3.43 with 429 strikeouts in 438 innings pitched. With the Trenton Thunder, he was named Pitcher of the Week in the Eastern League for the week of May 15-21. His numbers at that time were impressive. He started in two games pitching in 13 innings. He struck out 15 batters, gave up 6 hits, and 3 earned runs. He walked four that week.

While Ramirez has several positive stats, one is especially notable. In 2017, his HR/9 is 0.9. His career HR/9 is 0.8. Yes, minor league games have fewer home runs than Big League games, but allowing fewer than one home run per game is impressive.

The reports from Fangraphs are good. He was nabbed by the Yankees in 2015 as a Rule 5 pick. He throws in the low-90s and his pitches are described as “boring” – like a drill – as pounds the inside on right-handed batters. He also has a 12-6 curveball and an attractive slider. He does have a changeup, but it isn’t always successful. His breaking ball gets lefties on a regular basis. Fangraphs expects him to be a #5 starter.

Ramirez was a favorite on the Thunder and he will be missed. The Yankees cleaned out the minor league team to improve the 40-man roster. On this team, Ramirez was one of the top pitching prospects in the Yankee organization. Now, he will add some hope to the future of the Orioles who need the arms to fortify their farm system.

Next: Previewing the Orioles vs Royals series

It is safe to say that Ramirez will not pitch in Baltimore, but he could see some time with the team after the September call-ups are made, especially if playoff hopes are off.

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