AJ Ramos, also known as Alejandro Ramos, Jr., has signed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels. The 35 year old is returning to familiar roots in Los Angeles as it was his home in 2021.
AJ Ramos and Old Beginnings
Ramos was an All-Star with the Miami Marlins in 2016 as a 29 year old. During that season, Ramos appeared in 67 games while earning 40 saves across 64 innings pitched. Known as a strikeout pitcher earlier in his career, Ramos’ ability to strike out opponents has diminished in his last two stints at the major league level.
With multiple seasons average 10+ strikeouts per nine innings, over the last two years Ramos has averaged a pedestrian 4.9 K/9 over his last seven appearances. Further, his walks increased dramatically to the tune of 6.1 walks per nine innings.
A.J. Ramos will provide depth for the bullpen of Los Angeles and could add another option as a closer if stud closer Raisel Iglesias were to gone down for an extended period of time.
Ramos, with previous major league experience, will definitely have a chance to compete for a major league spot during spring training. With a condensed spring training schedule and multiple nine inning double headers on the horizon, Ramos should see plenty of major league playing time in 2022.
Besides Iglesias, the Angels also have the following players pegged for major league roles in the bullpen: Mike Mayers, Austin Warren, Jose Quijada, Andrew Wantz, Jimmy Herget, Oliver Ortega, and Kyle Tyler. These are not a lot of household names and not great production, either. This all adds up for a good situation in which Ramos could make a successful comeback.
