If this does come through, a good gamble for the Chisox, who are essentially retooling...especially if he can make the switch to the outfield.

Isn't he more valuable in the infield...if he can actually play there.

Not one comment about being 26?

He might not have a lot of power, but the price is so little, it's worth it.

Not one comment about being 26?

With Cuban players, questionable age is one of those things that's a given, and it probably helped knock his price down a bit.

Alex Rodriguez signed with the White Sox!!!

Oh, wait...

Is he MLB ready?

I thought the headline said "Cubs Slugger Aramis Ramirez...", needless to say, I was quite confused.

I thought the headline said "Cubs Slugger Aramis Ramirez...", needless to say, I was quite confused.

That would have been quite a different bit of defection.

I thought the headline said "Cubs Slugger Aramis Ramirez...", needless to say, I was quite confused.

The headline does say that Kenny Williams made a really smart free agent signing, needless to say, I am quite confused.

For 4/$4.75, they can't go wrong. Unless they mean 4/$19 in which case it could go wrong but still not that horribly.

Here's his career stats.
(labor de por vida, ofensiva-defensiva, player 409).
I've seen little of him, but the numbers (at first glance) and recollections of what I've read on him before suggest that he's a tweener - not enough bat for a corner outfield spot, not enough speed for center, not enough quickness for the middle infield. Still, worthwhile gamble for the price.

Ramirez, whose age is listed at 26, was a natural shortstop in Cuba but also can play second base

Kenny W should have no problems trading him to Hendry if Alexei doesn't pan out in the AL.

Actually this is exactly the type of transaction that Williams is exceptional at and how he built the last championship team we had.

That being said, the Pablo Ozuna comparisons I heard from the local media sure don't make me super excited about this pick-up.

Dan,

With some career stats from Cuba can ZiPS give us a projection for Ramirez? I don't really have his '07 stats other than he hit .335 with 20 HR and a .578 SLG

So who is currently the best baseball player in the world not playing in the States? Yulieski Gourriel?

So who is currently the best baseball player in the world not playing in the States? Yulieski Gourriel?

Barry Bonds.

California Penal League is in the U.S., ya know...

Roy Halladay?

If by "not playing in the States," Joe means "not playing in MLB or any of its organized minor leagues," I'd say Yu Darvish.

I'd guess Darvish, though I'm concerned about putting too much stock in last year's heroics. He's certainly the one I'd take if I get my pick of anybody going forward (he recently turned 21), though Hillman occasionally worked him hard (for example, of his first 15 starts this season, he topped 130 pitches four times).

The two best players fitting this criteria are BOTH named "Yu"?

That is just creepy.

Some more Cuban/Alexei stat stuff...

Here's season by season numbers (set to '06, just change the Serie # in the URL for other seasons. Ramirez hit .335 and slugged .574 with 31 UIBB in 340 AB, while mostly playing CF (also 112.2 innings in the infield, mostly split between 2B and 3B). Cuba traditionally is a high average, high walk, low power environemt - the league hit .276 that year, low by their standards, with a walk every nine at bats or so, and slugged .373. His club, Pinar Del Rio, plays in a pitcher's park (PF ~ 0.9, using last year's BP).

I believe Davenport has conjectured that the Cuban leagues are at an 'A' level (no, I don't recall whether he meant high, low, or short A). My own, far less systematic, poking at the numbers once put it somewhere between high A and AA, closer to the former. (Before anybody gets upset by that - I'd like to note that it's a 16 team league for a relatively small island and that there is wide variation in the talent therein.)

Lastly, I'd like to compare the two using Kendry Morales as a comp (no - they're not similar players). [Here's a slightly dated list with a bunch of Cuban career stats for ex-pats, look at post 771.]

Optimists: his offensive numbers aren't that much worse than Kendry's (who also played in a pitcher's park) were. Alexei walks a bit less and has less power, while also showing more speed (not fast, but not Morales), striking out a little less and defensive ability.
Pessimists: Of course, Morales's last season in Cuba was as a 20-year old, not 26.

For a more optimistic look, here's some BA stuff.

EDIT: Hey! B-Pro translations!

Since I keep bumping this along, here's my quick n' dirty MLE for his work over the last two seasons. I've used the NYP as a point of reference for league quality, as I trust Clay's work over my own (which, after some updates, now puts Cuban quality at around the Midwest League) - not that people would, but I wouldn't put too much stock into this:

real stats:
677 ab, 119 runs, 223 hits, 31 2b, 5 3b, 32 hr, 122 rbi, 96 bb, 60 so, 21 hbp, 10 sb, 8 cs, .329/.427/.532

fake stats:
614 ab, 57 runs, 162 hits, 25 2b, 3 3b, 16 hr, 71 rbi, 44 bb, 87 so, 13 hbp, 6 sb, 5 cs, .264/.325/.393

Complicating factors and notes:
* his walk rate in Cuba was partially fueled by a bunch of intentional walks (26).
* the league K rate is very low compared to US leagues (13.63% of at bats). By comparison, the NYP featured a K in 22.87% of AB.
* the CNL hit .285/.366/.397 over the span in question.
* the league CS% rate is shockingly high (47.8). Not sure how to account for that - I'm sure it's a mix of catcher arm quality and running philosophy/technique issues...