Seattle Mariners Opening Day Countdown: #55 Yohan Ramirez

Hey Seattle Mariners fans, we are just 55 days away from opening day! Now that we are at day 55 in the Sodo Mojo countdown, let’s take a look at how Yohan Ramirez pitched in 2020 and what we should expect from him this season.

Yohan was a nice surprise for the Mariners in 2020. The expectations were pretty low for Ramirez since he was a Rule 5 Draft selection in 2019. 2020 was also his first season in the big leagues, but he was still used quite often by manager Scott Servais.

Yohan Ramirez’s 2020 Mariners season

Ramirez finished the season with a 2.61 ERA in 20.2 innings pitched. He struck out 26 batters, but he also walked 20 batters. Yes, his ERA is outstanding but the other numbers aren’t so amazing.

Yohan Ramirez had a whopping 6.05 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP). To compare, Marco Gonzales posted a 3.32 FIP last season.

Although, Ramirez has some impressive numbers on Baseball Savant. He was in the 81st percentile in exit velocity (higher the better) and was in the 89th percentile in hard-hit percentage.

And that’s not it, he was in the 98th percentile in xBA, 95th in xSLG, 73rd percentile in whiff percentage, 85th in fastball velocity, and 68th in fastball spin rate. He allowed way too many base runners on, but he was effective at getting batters out.

When you throw an average 95.6mph fastball, it can certainly help.

What to expect from Yohan Ramirez in 2021

According to Fan Graphs ZiPS projections, Ramirez is expected to post a 4.92 ERA, along with a 5.07 FIP. Probably not exactly what you want to hear, but I think it is a realistic projection.

The Mariners reliever walked way too many batters in 2020. He has a flaming fastball and good slider to put batters away, but his control of the strike zone will be the deciding factor.

The good news is that Ramirez is only 25-years-old, so hopefully, the coaching staff can work with him closely this spring training.

Yohan Ramirez also got some games in during the Dominican Republic Winter League, but his control was not any better. But Ramirez’s team ended up winning the Winter League which must feel good. Hopefully, he can take that positive feeling into spring training.