Former MLB Player Exposes Multiple Concerns for Marlins' Young Star

Last summer, the Miami Marlins struck a major deal with the New York Yankees at the MLB trade deadline, sending infielder Jazz Chisholm to the Yankees in exchange for three prospects.

The return package was headlined by catcher Agustin Ramirez, who was lighting it up at the plate for New York's Triple-A affiliate at the time.

Ramirez was called up to the majors back in late April and got off to a scintillating start, slashing .290/.333/.710 with three home runs in eight games that month. He has cooled off considerably since then, but he has still been impressive overall, having homered 10 times while posting a .755 OPS.

There is no doubt that the 23-year-old could develop into Miami's next star, but Marlins TV analyst and former MLB player Tommy Hutton sees a couple of problems with Ramirez.

“He needs to get a little more control of the strike zone,” Hutton said, via Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “He’s a wild swinger. He needs to make more contact. And he needs to improve his work behind the plate, which he works on behind the scenes. If the defense doesn’t improve, you can have yourselves a DH.”

To be fair, Ramirez hasn't struck out a ton, fanning 32 times over 196 plate appearances this season. But there is no question that he could stand to improve his plate discipline, as has only walked 13 times, resulting in a rather paltry .291 OBP.

Meanwhile, the youngster's poor defensive chops were well known to be an issue during his time in the Yankees' farm system, so it remains to be seen if he will ever develop into an adequate defensive catcher. The Marlins have been employing the surprising Liam Hicks as their backstop, so it's entirely possible Miami will keep Ramirez as primarily a designated hitter for the time being.

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