Yankees outfielder Heliot Ramos is heating up at the right time. After subbing in for Aaron Judge in right field last night in the 6th inning, Ramos went on to hit a three-run home run in the 8th inning with runners on second and third, nobody out, off Rockies left-handed reliever Brennan Bernardino. It traveled 402 feet past the right-center field fence and into the Yankees bullpen. It was Ramos’s 11th home run of the season, and his second since being traded to the Yankees.
The three runs were big insurance due to Tim Hill giving up a two-run home run to right-field against Rockies catcher, right-handed hitting slugger Hunter Goodman to make it 5-3. The Yankees then brought in Bednar for a three-pitch strikeout of center fielder Mickey Moniak. Still, Ramos’s home run ultimately prevented Goodman’s two-out ninth-inning home run from turning into a disaster 9th inning for the Yankees. Ramos has also been heating up at the plate recently. In his last seven games (15 plate appearances), he has two home runs, 6 RBIs, a .333 batting average, and a .474 OBP with a .800 SLG. Ramos can also hit left-handed pitching.
Ramos Is Different Hitter Against Left Handed Pitching
Ramos in 88 at-bats this year against lefties has posted a .284 average with 4 home runs, 14 RBIs, a .511 slugging percentage, and a .875 OPS. He’s a completely different hitter against left-handed pitching, and a valuable piece off the Yankees bench against southpaws, as was evident last night against the left-hander Bernardino out of the Colorado Rockies bullpen. Ramos has struggled against righties this year with a .640 OPS in 270 at-bats against them. Still, Ramos’s clear role on the team now, with the return of back to back reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge, is a platoon type of hitter against left-handers that can come off the bench in these types of situations and put up a productive at-bat.
Ramos’s Yankees tenure started on a sour note; after the trade deadline on August 3rd, Ramos hit for a .157 average with a .612 OPS in his first 25 games as a Yankee, which included a 0-23 stretch that left Yankees fans frustrated with his early contributions and performance. This, however, also included some batted-ball bad luck one could presume, with several outs being hit 100 mph or more. It’s never easy for a player to go to a new team, especially on the other side of the country, with Ramos making the switch from the Bay Area in San Francisco to New York.
But since the Red Sox series where he hit that big three-run home run to help the Yankees win three out of four, he’s looked more comfortable at the plate. Despite his playing time likely to decrease with the return of Yankees Captain and reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge, Ramos will likely serve a similar role that Amed Rosario did on last year’s team: a right-handed bat off the bench in a pinch-hit (late substitution) scenario who can hit left-handed pitching incredibly well.
Yankees Lineup Is Predominantly Left Handed
The Yankees have a lineup of predominantly left-handed hitters, which is why opposing teams will often use left-handed pitchers, either from the starting rotation or the bullpen, when facing the Yankees. The only right-handed hitters on the team are Heliot Ramos, Paul Goldschmidt, Amed Rosario, Jose Caballero, Ali Sanchez, George Lombard Jr, and Aaron Judge. Still, just two of those players (Lombard and Judge) can really be categorized as everyday starters on this team at the moment.
Goldschmidt, Ramos, Rosario, Caballero, and Sanchez are more viewed as valuable depth pieces on this Yankees roster. But Ramos is heating up at the perfect time for the Yankees as his role becomes clearer through September and October by the day, and for the Yankees’ sake, hopefully just one of many good things to come.
Heliot Ramos Heating Up At The Right Time For The Yankees