Respect has always been an interesting concept to me. As a Korean American, I was raised to always respect my elders and people in positions of authority. However, in high school I saw the older kids beating the younger ones for being “the routine.” That’s when it all broke for me, and I decided that respect is earned, not automatically. Now, as an old man with two children, the pendulum is back in the middle because now I understand that age and experience are usually signs of wisdom, but what always worries me is that I can’t both dislike and respect something or someone at the same time, which brings me to wisdom. Ramon Laureano. Stop breaking up!! Laureano has flashed and had some brilliant moments in his career, but he’s also done some serious stuff and it looks like he’s on the verge of entering the Mariana Trench in the last few years. Well, you can guess the start of this season. Is it true?
Ramon Laureano is 31 years old, 5-foot-9, 203 pounds, and bats right-handed. He was selected by the Houston Astros in the 16th round of the 2014 MLB draft. After four minor league seasons, he was traded to the Oakland Athletics, where he became the first Athletics player to hit a career-high RBI in his MLB debut. He also became the first A’s player to have two multi-hit games in his first 30 MLB games. Respect!
In 2019, Ramon Laureano played in 123 games and made 481 plate appearances for the Athletics, hitting .288/.340/.521 with 24 home runs, 79 runs, 67 RBI, and 13 stolen bases. The walk rate was 5.6%, the strikeout rate was 25.6%, and the ISO was .233. Respect!
He then tested positive for PEDs and was suspended 80 games. He had another operation, and it started to go downhill.
Laureano was selected for assignment by Oakland and then claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Rangers. After struggling, he was released and signed a contract with the Atlanta Braves, where he played one season and became a free agent. Ramon Laureano then played a season in the Dominican Professional Baseball League before signing a one-year contract with the Baltimore Orioles. He was then traded to the San Diego Padres six months later. Wow, what a ride.
Through 16 games and 66 plate appearances this season, the slash is .283/.348/.567 with four home runs, 11 runs, 11 RBI, and three stolen bases. The walk rate is 7.6%, the strikeout rate is 21.2%, and the ISO is .283! The BABIP is .310, so the batting average looks legit.
An average exit velocity of 89.3 mph is good for work practices. The launch angle of 12.4 degrees is slightly lower than the career mark of 13.3 degrees, but within the normal range. A 15.2% barrel rate and a 50% hard hitting rate are both career highs! His 72.1 mph bat speed has remained the same over the past three seasons. There is nothing unusual about the batted ball data.
The number plates show more aggressiveness. The 31.6% strikeout rate is a career high, as is the 76.6% swing rate in the strike zone. The average job is 66%.
Last season, in 488 plate appearances between the two teams, Ramon Laureano hit .281/.342/.512 with 24 home runs, 72 runs, 76 RBI, and seven stolen bases. The walk rate was 7.2%, the strikeout rate was 24.4%, and the ISO was .231. This gives me confidence that this hot start is legit.
If you look at the Statcast data, the running speed of 28.2 feet per second is in the 84th percentile, but the x-stats are all solid – xwOBA (87th), xBA (82nd), and xSLG (92nd).
After starting the season hitting from fifth to seventh on the list, Laureano was on an eight-game hitting streak. During that time, he has collected two runs, two triples, two home runs, eight hits, six runs and two stolen bases. ISO is .294 with a BABIP of .304. Laureano is now batting ahead of Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts.
Power. Speed. Lineup Slot. Employment History. No more disrespecting Ramon Laureano.
