Weekly Wroundtable: What to Do With Cleveland Indians’ Jose Ramirez

Who Would Replace Ramirez?

May 3, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians shortstop Jose Ramirez (11) hits an RBI double during the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Andrew Schmid: While the Indians should not give up on Jose Ramirez, it is definitely time for him to return to Triple-A. So far this season, he has slashed .185/.237/.250, which many credit to a .190 BABIP. This one statistic, however, doesn’t mean that Ramirez will have to get better, as his BABIP is mostly due to a regression in his line drive rate, which plummeted from 24.4 percent last season to 15.9 percent this year. Most of these line drives have become fly balls, which are easier to become an out – and given the young shortstop’s lack of power, they will become outs. Sending Ramirez down to Triple-A may fix this problem, but more important is that it will force someone else to man shortstop. And hopefully that person is not Francisco Lindor. Yet.

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Ryan Rosko: Given Cleveland still is struggling and inconsistent on the offensive side of the ball as a whole, they should do one of two things. The first is let Ramirez continue to play and hopefully he gets back on track like others on the team. The second option would be to bench him and use him when needed. I would be on the fence about sending him down to Triple-A. If he gets benched or sent down, Francisco Lindor deserves his shot to play. In the meantime, someone like Mike Aviles may have to take the reins until Lindor is called up.

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What should the Indians do with Ramirez? There are definitely some good arguments in favor of any decision, but hopefully whatever direction the Indians choose to go in will turn out to be the one that helps the team win the most games.

Next: Wahoos on the Mic: Episode 85 - Offensive Defense and Pitching Perfection