Wilson Ramos was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies from the Tampa Bay Rays ahead of the trade deadline.
Ramos was on the disabled list, however, and had been on the shelf since his last appearance with Tampa on July 14. The Phillies knew that he’d be back soon enough when they acquired him.
31-year-old Ramos’ backstop is back now, and he has been lighting it up for the Phillies through two games thus far.
Ramos went 3-4 with two doubles and a triple in his first game against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday. He had 3 RBIs en route to a 7-4 win for Philly.
In Thursday’s 9-6 win over the Mets in the second game of a doubleheader, Ramos impressed again, going 3-5 with another double and an RBI.
Obviously, this pace is not sustainable, but Ramos has been the best offensive catcher in baseball this year. Overall, he is hitting .308/.355/.510 (137 wRC+) in 80 games, 78 with Tampa Bay. He has also clubbed 14 homers, which ties him and Gary Sanchez up for seventh among catchers. Sanchez has played just 66 games due to multiple groin injuries.
If Ramos can keep performing well offensively, then the Phillies may be able to genuinely compete this year. If one takes into account the team’s recent acquisition of Justin Bour, and with 25-year-old Jorge Alfaro taking a backup role for the rest of the year while preparing to make the jump to elite starter next year, they could pose a threat.
Ramos has a degree of familiarity with the NL East still, too, as he is just two seasons removed from a seven-year-long stay with the Washington Nationals.
Look out for these Phillies.
Featured Image via Flickr/Keith Allison
