CLEVELAND -- After participating in the SiriuxXM All-Star Futures Game last July, James Ramsey had a feeling that he could be dealt at the trade deadline. So when St. Louis' farm director called Ramsey in Tulsa on the morning of July 30, he wasn't surprised to learn that he was being traded to the Indians.
The Tribe acquired Ramsey for Justin Masterson and got an established hitter and outfielder. Ramsey is in Cleveland this week as part of the team's Winter Development Program as one of 13 prospects who are getting an up close and personal look at the organization along with classroom sessions, conditioning and fundamentals work.
"It has been a great opportunity so far," Ramsey said about his first six months with the Indians. "I always look forward to taking care of my business and improving every day. This kind of reaffirms what the organization thinks of you. The first conversation I had with (Indians general manager) Chris Antonetti was about how much they liked me during the draft and how they have been tracking me through different levels."
Growing up in Atlanta and following the Braves teams of the mid-90s, Ramsey had some familiarity with the Indians and their history. He also got to know some of the players while being in the Arizona Fall League in 2013.
After being acquired, Ramsey was assigned to Triple-A Columbus and settled right in, batting .284 with three home runs and 16 RBI. According to STATS LLC, Ramsey led the Clippers in RBI, was third in batting average and fourth in on-base percentage once he joined the team.
In his 28 games with Columbus, Ramsey played all but two in center. He has played all three outfield spots in his minor-league career but most of it has been in center. Being traded to the Indians also earned Ramsey a promotion up one level. With the Cardinals having a glut of outfielders in Triple-A Memphis, there wasn't a spot for him, which had him stuck in Springfield. At the time of the trade, he was batting .300 and was sixth in the Texas League in home runs (13).
The Cardinals told Ramsey to approach his work in Springfield as if he was in Triple-A, but that still makes it difficult to simulate the conditions. While the hitters and pitching are more consistent in Triple-A, Ramsey still kept the same approach that he did a level down. Ramsey went on to say that the last month of the season in Columbus was the most fun he has had at the professional level.
Ramsey is also one of three prospects participating in the program who were acquired in trades last year. The others are pitchers Michael Clevinger and Nick Maronde, who were traded from the Angels to the Indians in separate deals.
While Ramsey has received a non-roster invite to spring training, his odds of marking the opening day roster are long. However the situation remains muddled with Ryan Raburn, Nick Swisher and Brandon Moss still rehabbing.
Ramsey is also part of what is becoming a logjam of center fielders in the Indians' farm system. Tyler Naquin is at Double-A Akron while Clint Frazier and Bradley Zimmer could both open the season in High-A Lynchburg. In Fox Sports Ohio's consensus Indians prospect rankings, all four are among the top 11.
"It is a good problem to have. We won't complain about having too many difficult decisions but usually those kind of solve themselves," said Indians farm system director Carter Hawkins. "We expect James to have an impact with the organization. He has played mostly center and right but we'll put him in the best position that can help us to win."
