Cleveland Indians Should Start Jose Ramirez in Center Field

Can Ramirez Handle CF?

Once you get by the question of should Ramirez start at all, the next debate is can he handle center field? It’s a legit question. Ramirez has played only three games in center field as a professional, all with the Columbus Clippers in 2014. In fact, he has only appeared in the outfield eight times (twice in Cleveland and six times in Triple-A Columbus). So why on earth would I suggest starting Ramirez there? Well, the history of infielders moving to the outfield and being successful plays a part…

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One young player who has recently made the move from middle infielder to centerfield that comes to mind when I think of Jose Ramirez is Cincinnati’s Billy Hamilton. Hamilton was originally a star shortstop prospects in the Reds’™ system before moving to second base (due to lack of range at shortstop) and eventually landing in center field with the presence of Brandon Phillips at second base. Hamilton, like Ramirez, is very athletic and has the quickness you want in a center fielder. Yes, Hamilton is on another level of fast than Ramirez; probably the fastest player in the game today. However, it doesn’t take the best speed in the game to be able to transition from the infield to the outfield. Heck, Cleveland’™s own Lonnie Chisenhall moved from third base to right field last year and made the transition looked easy as well.

There are other infielders that have made moves to the outfield. Tampa Bay’s Melvin Upton made the move to center field after bouncing around the infield for a couple years. Alex Gordon of the Royals made the move from third base to left field. All four of the players I mentioned (Hamilton, Chisenhall, Upton, and Gordon) have been considered one of the best defensively at their new position. So why couldn’t Ramirez be the next to make that jump?

Obviously moving to the outfield is not as simple as guys like Chisenhall have made it look. We saw how Luis Valbuena looked in left field when given the chance (reminder: it wasn’t pretty). However, Valbuena also didn’t get many chances out there. Who’s to say he doesn’t become at least competent in the outfield if left there?

Next: Why Not Naquin in CF?