Remember at the beginning of the season when Riggleman said that Ramos and Pudge were going to play every other day for the first 10 games? Well, it's been 12 games, and there seems to be no end to the platoon in sight; each player has 6 starts. Let's take a look at how this is going.
Pudge - .136 AVG (3 for 22). .356 OPS. 1 2B. 4 RBI. 3 K. 1 BB. -0.2 WAR
Ramos - .455 AVG (10 for 22). 1.083 OPS. 2 2B. 2 RBI. 5 K. 3 BB. 0.4 WAR
They said that Pudge was going to be the guy until Ramos pushed him out of it. Well... Uhm... Need some more info?
How do the pitchers fare when each backstop is behind the dish?
Pudge - 55.2 IP. 50 Hits. 4.20 ERA. 41 K. 24 BB. .654 OPS.
Ramos - 54.0 IP. 49 Hits. 3.11 ERA. 46 K. 13 BB. .677 OPS.
The pitching staff has a significantly lower ERA when Ramos is behind the plate, though they are also prone to more HRs (Ramos 6: Pudge 1). In addition, the walk and strikeout numbers are better as well when Ramos is catching. When looking at WAR numbers for the 2011 season, Ramos is 2nd on the team, right behind Zimmerman (and one of only 6 Nationals position players in the positive).
Listen, I'm not here to hate on Pudge for aging, it happens. But, this season especially, it's time to say goodbye to the veteran and sure-thing-1st-ballet Hall of Famer. Let's trade Pudge to a contender (See: Red Sox) and see what Ramos and Flores can do, once and for all.
Agreed. Ramos-Flores looks like a great Cathcer combo to me.
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