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Catcher wins converts in Twins camp

Venezuelan Wilson Ramos, who signed as a 16-year-old, has impressed pitchers as he exceeds the club's early expectations.

By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune

Last update: March 10, 2009 - 12:29 AM

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FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. - The Twins played without All-Star catcher Joe Mauer again Sunday, but the young prospect behind the plate, Wilson Ramos, continued making a big impression.

"He knows how to call the game," Francisco Liriano said, after tossing four perfect innings with five strikeouts in a 2-0 victory over the Orioles.

Ramos, 21, likely will start the season at Class AA New Britain, but he is emerging as one of the top catching prospects in baseball.

With Mauer recovering from kidney surgery, Ramos has only increased his stock this spring, going 3-for-9 with a double and two walks.

"I really like this Ramos kid," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I think this kid's a pretty good player. He's a big, strong kid who can hit a ball a long ways."

The Twins didn't expect all this. They signed Ramos for $27,000 in 2004 at age 16, after he visited their Venezuelan academy.

Mike Radcliff, the team's vice president of player personnel, said Ramos was pretty good defensively.

"We thought we were getting a catch-and-throw guy," Radcliff said. "His bat is way beyond our expectations."

Ramos also has grown bigger than the Twins expected, as he's now listed at 6 feet, 221 pounds.

A righthanded hitter, Ramos batted .288 with 13 home runs and 78 RBI for Class A Fort Myers last year despite being one of the younger players in the league.

Over the past two years, including 2007 at Class A Beloit, Ramos has thrown out 42 percent of opposing base stealers.

"I don't know what level they put me at, but I'm ready to play," Ramos said last week. "I'm ready to play Double-A or Triple-A or ... here."

That's here -- as in the majors.

The Twins don't want to rush Ramos, but he gives them an option behind current big league backup Mike Redmond and likely Class AAA starter Jose Morales.

Ramos entered spring with his confidence sky-high, after helping lead Venezuela to the Caribbean Series title. Ramos was 5-for-13 with four walks.

Besides hitting and catching, Ramos is determined to master English. He's been working with the Twins' tutor in Venezuela.

"I understand a lot, but I have a problem when I'm talking," he said.

Still, Ramos has served as an interpreter for some of his Spanish-speaking teammates in the minors, Radcliff said.

"With a catcher, it's even more important that he's got the ability to communicate with the pitchers," Radcliff added.

And if the communication falters, perhaps he can keep reading their minds, like Sunday.

With two outs in the fifth inning, and an 0-1 count to Baltimore's Luke Scott, Twins closer Joe Nathan decided to throw a changeup in a game for the first time in more than two years.

"I was like, this is as good of spot as any, but [Ramos] doesn't even know me; there's no way he's going to call it," Nathan said. "And sure enough he put the wiggle [sign] down."

Nathan threw his rare changeup, and Scott grounded out, ending the inning.

"It was awesome," Nathan said.

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