Another outfielder: Cleveland Indians add Harold Ramirez

The Cleveland Indians added former Marlins OF Harold Ramirez to the scramble.

The Cleveland Indians claimed outfielder Harold Ramirez off waivers, adding to jumble in the Tribe’s outfield.

With Eddie Rosario as the only regular starter, and with all of the other players carrying minor-league options, there will be a competition for two outfield spots on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario. 

Ramirez seems like another guy in the log jab, but he did have a respectable rookie campaign in 2019, slashing .276/.312/.416. That season, he started off by batting .368/.419/.474 in May. He fell off dramatically after that, but made the adjustments to finish strong.

The 26-year-old never got going last season, as he was one of the Marlins’ infected with COVID-19. He appeared just three games, which produced only 11 plate appearances.

Ramirez is very much in the mold of what the Indians are looking for. It was brief, but Ramirez produced at the big-league level. If given more of an opportunity, could he build off a solid rookie season that came just two seasons ago?

In his rookie campaign, the Marlins used Ramirez in center (27 games), right field (55) and left field (61)

Oscar Mercado will be given a chance to prove 2020 was a fluke after losing the job in his sophomore season. Former first-round pick Bradley Zimmer is still around and will be his main competition.

In the corner not occupied by Rosario, Ramirez could also be an option, as could Jordan Luplow, Zimmer and Daniel Johnson.

Then, there’s the Jake Bauers/Josh Naylor conundrum. One of those guys will play first base. Bauers is out of options, so he should be given opportunity to win the job. He he does, Naylor will fit in the other corner.