Opinion: Good in KC, not in Chicago, Why?
In a post to Mets Fever, Ed Ryan suggests that the Mets sign 28–year-old LHP Horacio Ramirez to replace of Oliver Perez.
Personally, I do not know enough about Ramirez to comment either way, other than I recall him being pretty good for the Braves.
However, it occurred to me while looking at his stats, that Ramirez is the definition of what makes acquiring a relief pitcher so confusing.
In 15 relief appearances for the Royals during the first half of this season, Ramirez looked good, posting a 2.59 ERA, allowing less than one base runner per inning through 24 innings pitched, during which opponents hit just .228 against him.
He was then traded to the White Sox in August.
However, In 17 relief appearances for Chicago, Ramirez was 0–3 with a 7.62 ERA in 13 innings, during which opponents hit .393 against him. Yes, .393.
Think about, opponents were hitting .228 against him when he wore a Royals cap, yet they hit nearly .400 when he wore a White Sox cap.
How does a guy look so good for one team, while being considered a valuable enough reliever to be traded to a playoff contender, only to travel 500 miles to another team, in the same division, three days later, where he instantly becomes a liability?
Seriously, how does this happen? And, more importantly, how can this type of situation be avoided?
