Chicago's other A-Ram: An unsung key to Sox' success

July 22, 9:49 PMChicago White Sox ExaminerJJ Stankevitz

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Alexei Ramirez was hitting .143 when he took over for an injured Juan Uribe in Mid-May.

The 2008 Chicago White Sox have been full of surprises, from Carlos Quentin's league-leading 24 home runs to John Danks' sub-3.00 ERA to Gavin Floyd's ten wins before the All-Star break.

Somehow, though, the production of Alexei Ramirez has been lost in the multitude of unexpected performances by a team that unexpectedly is in first place here in late July.

When Ramirez was signed straight from Cuba to a four-year, $4.75 million contract on December 21, 2007, it was widely known that the "Cuban Missile" had loads of talent. When he would realize that talent was a question mark.

Before the White Sox reported to spring training in Arizona, Ramirez was expected to either begin the season in the minors, with AA Birmingham or AAA Charlotte his destination depending on his performance in March.

However, in March, Ramirez flashed the ability that led him to star status in his baseball-crazed homeland. He was hitting the ball all over the field, and he was doing it with authority. He was running the bases with speed not seen since Lance Johnson. And he was playing solid defense at three different positions.

Ramirez played himself on to the roster for the White Sox this year, and many forget that it was he, not Carlos Quentin, who was starting alongside Nick Swisher and Jermaine Dye in Ozzie Guillen's outfield on March 31 in Cleveland.

That only lasted two games, though. In the third game of the year, Swisher shifted from left to center and Quentin took over the final starting spot in the White Sox' outfield. Quentin went on to carry the White Sox through April and May; Ramirez rode the pine for much of that time.

At-bats were few and far between for Ramirez, and many questioned why he wasn't getting regular at-bats in the minors. As a result of his infrequent trips to the plate, Ramirez's bat suffered—on May 16, Ramirez was hitting a paltry .143 heading into the White Sox' contest in San Francisco. He had just nine at-bats in the entire month of May, and only had one hit in the month.

It was on May 16 that the White Sox placed starting second baseman Juan Uribe, who was hitting .198 at the time, on the 15-day disabled list with a strained hamstring.

15 days of solid playing time was more than enough time for Ramirez to show his ability. He hit his first career home run on May 16 and in his first four games as the starting second baseman, Ramirez garnered a hit in all of them, including back-to-back two-hit games May 18 and 20 against the Giants and Indians, respectively.

He continued to hit the ball well after that torrid start, hitting .295 for the month of May and raising his batting average on the season to .234.

Then, June rolled around. And Ramirez kept rolling.

The month for Ramirez opened with back-to-back three-hit games, two of four three-hit games Ramirez had in the month. He had 11 multi-hit games for the month and knocked out three home runs. He hit .355 for the month, and as a result, his batting average peaked at .300 twice in the month before settling at .295 by the end of June.

All of a sudden, Ramirez had rocketed past another Chicago rookie in the batting average department. That rookie started the All-Star game, Ramirez? I'm sure he enjoyed the time with his family.

After he went 4/6 in Kansas City July 8, Ramirez hasn't seen his batting average drop below .300.

For the visual learners in the audience, this graph of Ramirez' batting average shows how truly staggering his climb to over .300 has been. A month and a half ago, the Sox probably would have taken a climb to over the Mendoza Line at this point in the season.

Yes, Alexei Ramirez has developed into one of the White Sox' most consistent hitters, alongside Carlos Quentin and Jermaine Dye.

Say what you will about Ramirez' on-base percentage—which sat at just .329 coming into Wednesday's game against the Texas Rangers—but here's the simple fact: Ramirez has to be aggressive at the plate to have success.

If Ramirez was more patient at the plate, his batting average likely would drop into the mid-.200s. Yes, he'd take more walks, but at what cost?

Ramirez is firmly a "swing at the first good pitch he sees" type hitter. He needs to stay that aggressive to stay in the major leagues.

It's easy to forget that Ramirez is a rookie. Playing ball in Cuba is roughly equivalent to playing in Single-A.

The fact that Ramirez is playing like he has is a true testament to his ability.

And the scary part?

We likely haven't seen all Ramirez has to offer.

Evan Longoria  might as well have the AL Rookie of the Year locked up right now, and Jacoby Ellsbury and Joba Chamberlain will garner a lot of votes thanks to the exposure they get. David Murphy will get a few looks, as he's on pace to drive in around 100 runs with Texas.

Even if Ramirez keeps hitting like he has, there's a chance he doesn't finish in the top three in Rookie of the Year voting.

So, like the rest of the White Sox, the "Cuban Missile" will continue to fly under the radar.