Top 10 Pittsburgh Pirates 1999-2009: 10. Aramis Ramirez

The Ramones sang “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow”.  It’s a tale of breaking up because someone had to “pay the price”.  And so is the case of Aramis Ramirez and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

He was the best Pirates’ prospect to come along since Barry Bonds was 175 lbs.  I recall Ramirez making his Major League debut in late May 1998.  For the first time since Sid Bream’s slide into home the Pirates had a gathering of observers that weren’t on hand to say goodbye to rising talent.  It came and went in a flash, the reality had set in quickly but it was still too late.  He was too young and too raw.

It was three seasons of occasional call-ups and continuous disappointments.  Ramirez was a mess on the field as a 19-year old rookie.  My own geographical distance from the team and a lack of web savvy allowed me to lose interest rather easily.  Then in 2001 he mashed his way to 34 home runs to go along with 40 doubles and 112 RBI.  Aramis Ramirez had arrived, at least offensively.

The power was obvious, and a commitment to discipline at the plate helped Ramirez to a .300 batting average.  The Pirates lost 100 games Aramis’ first full season, and even with his offensive impact there were still some obvious deficiencies in his game.  The foremost being his defensive misgivings.  He couldn’t field anything, and his throws to first had camera pits on high alert.

He was becoming a victim of the vicious Dave Littlefield system, which is usually accompanied by a desire  to leave Pittsburgh and their embarrassing baseball team behind.

In late July, Ramirez, along with the remaining $3 million on his 2003 salary, $6 million due to him in 2004, and Kenny Lofton, were shipped to the Chicago Cubs for Jose Hernandez, Matt Bruback, and a player to be named later.  Littlefield shed some salary and headaches for an expiring contract (and expiring talent) in Jose Hernandez.  The player to be named later became Bobby Hill who along with Bruback went on to do next to nothing at the Major League level.

The Ramirez trade set the standard for what Bucco fans went on to endure for the rest of the decade.  Neil Huntington will likely use the Littlefield maneuver a couple more times, he’ll most surely have to employ the tactic to rid himself of Ryan Doumit.  It’s “ok” for Huntington to cut payroll at the sacrifice of trying to win immediately because Littlefield robbed the fan base of its raison d’etre. We thought we’d seen the worst, and then watched Nate McLouth go to Atlanta for a few arms and prospects.  We’ll get into that deal in a few days.

Aramis Ramirez is a great baseball player.  He’s a dirtball that’s taken some wear over the last few seasons.  His 2009 season was spoiled by injuries, but he remains among the most dangerous right handed hitters in the National League when he’s healthy.  Although he only managed to appear in 80 games last season, Ramirez still hit .317 with 15 homers, 64 RBI and a .906 OPS.

Ramirez filled a gap at third base for the Chicago Cubs in 2003, and has been arguably one of the most consistent hitters in the game every season since.  One team’s problem becomes another’s, right?  Yes, we’ve had a gap at third base ever since…

Aramis Ramirez, Pittsburgh Pirates 1998-2003

Tags: Aramis Ramirez, Bucs, Mlb, Pittsburgh Pirates