RAMOS HOPES FOR BIG BUCKS

Wilson Ramos went out and had a magical season for the Nationals turning from being a .260 hitter to a guy who hit .307. Not only did he set career bests in average but also SLG (.496) and OPS (.850), not to mention homers (22), RBI (80) and runs scored (58). He was set to sign a gazillion dollar deal after that massive effort before… tearing his ACL in one of the worst timed injuries in years. He had surgery October 14th and the hops is that he will be able to return to the big leagues no later than June of 2017. Even so, he’s a catcher and that leads to additional concerns about his knee. Moreover, the 29 year old backstop has already torn his ACL in that right knee leading to even more concern about whether or not his body will be able to handle the pounding of catching. Think of it, a twice torn ACL in a catcher. Does that give you the warm and fuzzies?

What does the future hold for Ramos?

The Nationals offered Ramos a 3-year, $30 million deal in August, which of course he turned down.

The Nats could extend him a qualifying offer at this point, though paying $17.2 million to a guy for a season in which it’s nearly impossible to believe he will be ready for Opening Day seems nuts to me.

Wil Polidor, Ramos’s agent, suggested that Ramos is still looking for a multi-year deal. In fact, he’s looking for a 4-5 year deal. Can’t see how a team would be willing to pay at that level without it being heavily incentivized.

An interesting offseason it will be.

MONCADA INJURED

Yoan Moncada hurt his thumb in the Arizona Fall League. The good news there is that it doesn’t seem like it’s a significant injury. "At this point, it has kept him out a couple of days," president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. "It is the same (hand) as before, but, at this time we do not think it is anything major." He has been sent home from the AFL though. The 21 year old from Cuba, roundly regarded as a top-3 if not the top prospect in baseball, was a superstar in the minors in 2016 with a .294-15-62-94-45 line over 106 games with an elite .407 OBP. His skills are off the charts impressive. Flat out balling stuff. Much like Byron Buxton, another elite level prospect, the road to success in the bigs hasn’t started off as easily as hoped for with the Red Sox infielder as Moncada appeared in eight games at the big league level going 4-for-19 with a whopping 12 strikeouts. He has a great shot to begin the season in the bigs next year, the talent is undeniable, and he will likely be overdrafted because of those skills.

CRON SURGERY

C.J. Cron missed time with a broken left hand, but he returned from the injury late in the year. Unfortunately, he never quite got over it and the damage to his left thumb led to surgery that comes with a 6-8 week recovery time frame.

There was a stretch where Cron was white hot, but in the end it was more of the same for Cron. The last two seasons production follows.

2015: .262-16-51-37-3 in 378 ABs with a .739 OPS

2016: .278-16-69-51 in 407 ABs with a .792 OPS

With all the options at the first base spot I just can’t get ever get excited about this guy unless I’m in an AL-only league. Even if you are a fan, it can only be a league where you can change your lineup daily being that C.J. simply doesn’t hit lefties very well. In 332 career plate appearances he has nine homers and a .252/.286/.408 slash line. He’s simply worse than average in that scenario.

Some value, but not anything exciting at all.

NO SURGERY FOR POMERANZ

Drew Pomeranz will not need surgery on his left forearm to the relief of the Red Sox. "He has seen the doctor, the doctor looked at him," President Dave Dombrowski said. "I can't really disclose totally everything that was done, but the doctor said no surgical procedure and the doctor feels he will be ready for next spring training for us." The Red Sox made a trade on July 14th to add the lefty sending out Anderson Espinoza to the Padres. It was learned that the Padres did not give a true reading of the health of Pomeranz, there was an illegal lie of omission, leading to a 30-day suspension for Padres GM A.J. Preller. Since that time, the Padres have fired CEO/President Mike Dee. Related or not, there that is.

Pomeranz, a 28 year old, threw a career-high 170.2 innings this past season. Pomeranz posted a 2.47 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 17 starts with the Padres before heading to the Red Sox where he simply wore out going 3-5 with a 4.59 ERA and 1.37 WHIP over 14 outings. He’s a huge question mark heading into next season because of concerns about his arm and his late season meltdown with the Sox that also included 14 homers allowed. I’m not buying in 2017. Neither should you.

A CATCHER TO PITCHER MOVE?

Kenley Jansen did it so why can’t Christian Bethancourt?

The “it” is moving from catcher to relief pitcher.

Bethancourt has hit .223/.253/.318 over the course of four seasons in the big leagues over 482 plate appearances. He’s struck out 118 times with 18 walks and generally has looked completely overmatched as a hitter. Even as a minor leaguer he has just 38 homers in 591 games with a .275/.306/.388 line. The glove is solid, but the bat just ain’t. Bethancourt made two appearances out of the pen in 2016 for the Padres, and he’s looking to do more moving forward. Hitting 97 mph on the radar gun in bullpen sessions, he’s been working on a changeup. He’s getting ready to perform this winter in games in his native Panama. Keep an eye on CB as things progress.

HITTING

Check out Pete Rose preaching to Alex Rodriguez and Frank Thomas about hitting.

 

Ray Flowers can be heard Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday, 8 PM EDT, Wednesday 7 PM EDT on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio (Sirius 210, XM 87). You can also hear Ray Sunday nights at 9 PM EDT PM on the channel talking fantasy sports. Follow Ray’s work at Fantasy Alarm and on Twitter (@baseballguys).