Atlanta Braves Should Considered Calling Up Harold Ramirez From Triple-A

The Atlanta Braves could call on a former Washington National for help in the outfield down the stretch.

Former Washington Nationals outfielder Harold Ramirez was picked up by the Atlanta Braves and has been playing well for the Gwinnett Stripers. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Gwinnett Stripers’ outfielder Harold Ramirez had a strong night at the plate on Thursday in the Stripers’ 9-2 win over the Nashville Sounds. The 30-year old (happy birthday Harold) went 3-for-4 with three RBI helping put the game away in the late innings. 

Harold Ramírez tacks on two more!

Ramírez is now 3-4 at the plate with three RBIs tonight. pic.twitter.com/IyLjG0Te3T

— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) September 6, 2024

Ramirez has been bouncing around from team to team this season. After being released by the Tampa Bay Rays in June, he spent some time in the Washington Nationals organization. After lighting it up for the Rochester Red Wings - he batted .375 with a .933 OPS in seven games - he was back in the big leagues. 

In 23 games with the Nationals, Ramirez batted .243 with a .638 OPS before being released again. The Braves picked him up shortly after. 

The Braves have been experimenting with plug-and-play options throughout the season, especially in the search for improved bats who can play the outfield. Ramirez could be their next guy to come up and produce. 

In the previous two seasons, Ramirez had a solid platoon piece in the Rays' lineup. In those two seasons, he batted .306 with a .780 OPS, a 121 OPS+ and averaged nine home runs and 63 RBIs. He’s especially lethal against lefties. 

Here are his slash lines from 2022 and 2023 against left-handed pitchers:

• 2022: .360/.413/.460 and a 146 OPS+
• 2023: .387/.411/.555 and a 160 OPS+ 

If the Braves can re-harness this, they can seriously give the lineup a boost. 

So how do you fix this? Perhaps the hitting coach can help him clean up his discipline. This season, his strikeouts are up and his walks are down. His strikeout rate increased from 18.2% to 20.3% from 2023 to 2024, while his walks dipped from 5.1% to 2%. The percentage points seem small, but in baseball, that’s huge. That’s like watching your batting average dip 20 to 30 points. 

It’s not easy to fix plate discipline, but it can be done. The Braves have been able to revive a few careers for veterans this year. It’s not like it’s a new task for them. 

Last point to cover. Yes, it’s after September and Ramirez is not on the 40-man. However, the Braves can petition the Commissioner's Office for his postseason eligibility. Whether or not they do we’ll have to wait and see, but it’s something that needs to be strongly considered.  

That extra bat could go a long way to making a playoff and potentially a World Series push.