Life In The Fast Lane
White Sox prospect Lane Ramsey barnstormed the Sox system in 2021 and worked hard this off-season to prepare for a big league opportunity.
One of the pleasures of covering minor league baseball is found when I come across an unheralded player that just wows me. These players don’t have the distinction of draft pedigree or being recipients of large signing bonuses. Often, they slip through the cracks due to injury. Other times due to their regional scout’s logistics or time constraints. Due to the uneven nature of their usage, a relief pitcher is much more likely to fall through the holes in the scouting system. I believe the White Sox farm system has one of these hidden gems in Lane Ramsey.
As it pertains to reasons for being overlooked, Ramsey checks all the boxes. He suffered a torn labrum in college, he was a division II transfer from Newman University to Oklahoma where he was lightly used (30.1 innings), he was drafted in the 23rd round, given a modest $150K signing bonus, and he plays the least glamorous position on the baseball scouting spectrum…relief pitcher.
However, when he strides to the mound you can clearly see something different. There is a reason that this kid with the 6.23 ERA at OU was able to convince baseball scouts that there were more than just statistics that define him. The first thing you notice is his size, standing at 6’9” 245 lbs. he is the owner of the kind of frame baseball scouts dream on. He’s wiry with long arms and legs, with his stirrups pulled up around his knees he visually stands out. If he reaches the major leagues, he will be among the tallest pitchers in baseball history.
Next you notice his coordination. Just by virtue of height, one could reasonably expect a certain level of awkwardness in his movement. However, his delivery is relatively low effort, repeatable, in-line and on time. As a youth Ramsey’s first love was basketball and his dexterity on the hard wood transitioned well to the pitcher’s mound.
Finally, and most importantly, one will notice his arm strength and easy velocity. When Ramsey comes downhill off the mound and extends toward home the hitter sees a synchronized symphony of long limbs coming at him with the ability to pump out high octane fastballs with relative ease.
The right-handed hurler first caught my attention in Low-A Kannapolis on April 5th, 2019, when he faced off against the Rome Braves. That night, he preserved a 2-1 victory by throwing an extremely efficient two innings. In his two frames, 13 of his 16 pitches were strikes. He struck out two hitters and didn’t allow a runner. His fastball velocity was inconsistent but touched 97 mph. After seeing his ability to pound the strike zone and run his early season fastball into the mid-nineties, I was sold.
Statistically Ramsey’s first full season of minor league baseball was solid but unspectacular. The reliever won four games and lost six while notching four saves. In the process, he struck out 44 batters while walking 20 and allowing 42 hits over 52.1 innings. His 3.74 FIP in contrast with his 2.75 ERA suggests he may have been the benefactor of some good luck. Although his numbers were solid, he was plagued with questions regarding his relatively low strikeout total (7.74 per 9 innings) and his ability to handle left-handed hitters who batted .294 against him.
When the 2020 minor league season was washed away due to the Covid-19 pandemic Ramsey didn’t dawdle, he went to work. He came into 2021 with the goal of turning heads in the organization and getting on the fast track toward 35th and Shields. He gained 15 pounds of muscle mass working with the White Sox strength coach. He also committed to a frequent throwing regimen at his OU alma mater with organizational teammates and fellow Boomers Alec Hansen and JB Olson. When speaking with him prior to spring training he shared, “I’ve got some unbelievably high goals, it’s going to be a fun year.”
In addition to his professional transformation, he also made a major change to his personal life by marrying his college girlfriend Ashtyn Wuthrich. Although Lane put in the work on the field, Ashtyn’s contributions to Team Ramsey can’t begin to be fully appreciated. Lonely nights following late night games were to become a thing of the past. The couple could forego using their cell phones to stay tethered between a 1100-mile geographical separation. This year with Ashtyn at his side, things really began to click. The hurler credits his wife stating, “The never-ending support and love I get from her is truly amazing. Her being by my side through every step of this process makes it so much easier…” He continued that Ashtyn’s mere presence helps him stay on an even keel through the ups and downs of a typical baseball season and expounds, “She helps me put the bad outings aside and helps me build on the good ones. Because of her selflessness and love, she has every bit to do with any success I have on the field ”
The “behind every great man is a great woman” parable held true as Ashtyn acted as the household CEO and CFO while the couple whirl winded through three minor league cities in 2021 (Winston-Salem, Birmingham, and Charlotte). Upon a promotion the organization provides hotel accommodations for two nights. Unless you have tried to find an apartment, sign a lease, and move in two days you may not appreciate the divine intervention required to pull off this feat, but this is often a source of great anxiety for players. While they try to iron out the details of their living situation and play baseball at a high level, they frequently find themselves crashing on a teammate’s floor or couch. Ashtyn diligently called rental offices and put the complicated puzzle of moving together so her husband could focus on pitching.
Spoiler alert: Sarcasm coming in next sentence. Despite the glorious riches being bestowed upon minor league baseball players everywhere, Ashtyn kicks into the family coffers by taking part in the gig-based economy. While her husband plays baseball and trains to hone his craft, she serves as a fitness trainer, walks dogs, and pet sits to help stretch the family budget.
Ramsey’s 2021 season began in Winston-Salem with the Dash. In 11 innings spread over ten outings he stymied opposing batsmen to the tune of a 1.64 ERA and .225 average. Among the most eye-popping stats were his 72% strike throwing percentage and 23% swinging strike rate. When he was “on” he could dominate hitters solely using his four-seam fastball as was the case on May 5th, against the Rome Braves. In 1.1 innings of work Ramsey struck out three batters and coaxed nine swings and misses against his fastball. Less than one month into his high-A season, he had shown White Sox brass enough, it was time for a new challenge.
Next it was on to Birmingham where the big right-hander kept rolling. Although his opponent’s batting average dropped to .222, his ERA for the level was 3.21. He struck out 18 hitters in 14 innings and maintained a strong 66% strike throwing percentage. Once again, he had shown White Sox player development all they needed to see. After only six weeks in AA, Ramsey was taking his howitzer to AAA-Charlotte. Barons skipper Justin Jirschele offered praise for his pitcher stating, “The presence Lane brings with him to the mound, not only physically but emotionally, profiles him to be an impactful right-handed arm out of the bullpen at the big-league level.”
The Charlotte Knights play their home games at Truist Field, a ballpark geared for high scoring affairs. Baseballs that hitters elevate, even to the opposite field, often turn into home runs. The Knight’s groundskeepers offer no respite for the pitchers either. The infield grass plays as fast as a putting green at the US Open. Accepting these laws, grounders shoot through the infield as base hits, routine flyballs become home runs, and the mettle of even the best pitchers is put to the test. For context, in their 65 home games Knight’s pitchers had a team ERA of 5.72 and WHIP of 1.57 while allowing opposing hitters to hit .262 with 95 home runs. Conversely, in 63 road games the team ERA was 4.90 with a 1.33 WHIP. Opposing hitters were held to a much more palatable .233 avg. and 70 home runs.
Even the most talented pitchers struggle in Charlotte and Ramsey was no exception. On the road his ERA was a stellar 2.13 while at home it ballooned to a whopping 11.70. Although he was admittedly gassed by the end of the season, it was a successful campaign by anyone’s standards. However, being one rung from the big leagues Ramsey wanted more. He had been urged by Winston-Salem teammate Declan Cronin to train at Tread Athletics during the off-season. Tread is a performance pitching development company headquartered in Charlotte that was co-founded by former White Sox farmhand Ben Brewster. Cronin began training at Tread during his senior year of college and is such a believer in the program that he became one of the first ten coaches on staff.
The work the trainers are doing at Tread is cutting edge. Instructors use a variety of high-tech instruments to measure everything one can imagine about a pitch and a pitcher’s motion required to throw it. Armed with an array of tools and data, Tread’s coaches build a personalized program for every athlete. The goals are to optimize a pitcher’s velocity and other measurables through biomechanics, drills, training, diet, and a cornucopia of additional resources. A quick visit to the Tread website will lead you to happen upon success stories, testimonials, and endorsements from some of the biggest names in pitching.
Ramsey’s indoctrination to Tread began with a mechanical and movement assessment at which point his coach Devin Hayes recognized that the pitcher’s planting leg would collapse leading to velocity and location inconsistency. Armed with this information Hayes and his student began drills that reinforced the development of a strong lead leg. After a month or two of medicine ball drills his lead hip was being patterned to pull back instead of giving out. Additionally, the two relied on using rocker drills and a slow 2-3 mph velo build up during each throwing session.
On December 17th, the fireballer experienced his voila moment. Pitching from the rocker drill the radar gun read 97.1 mph! Ninety-seven might not seem impressive in today’s game, but this is just a throwing drill with no wind up. The rocker drill reinforces a really aggressive move forward. The pitcher starts with his weight on his front leg (landing side), rocks back and throws. He doesn’t have time to stall or gather momentum as you would typically see from the stretch. Coach Hayes shared that Ramsey’s jaw dropping feat caused the people inside the facility to shift their focus to his work and all eyes were upon him. While Cronin offered, “The 97.1 was just so smooth and a clear indication that he had figured out his lead leg and how to stay “inside” his front hip rather than spilling out onto a soft front side…”
From the standpoint of velocity alone, Ramsey’s fastball is a plus pitch. When you couple it with the fact that he’s so tall and coming downhill it plays up even more. His release height is 5’11.” This nearly one foot discrepancy between the pitcher’s standing height and release adds to the fastball’s deception at the top of the strike zone and gives it explosive carry.
The slider has traditionally been his second “go-to” offering. He has used it with great success and his off-season refinement of the weapon focused on throwing the pitch firmly. Hayes explained that analytics tell us there is an inflection point for every pitch. At 85 mph a hitter’s xwOBA (expected weighted on-base average) plummets against sliders. Ramsey’s slider is consistently clocked in the 86-87 mph range, but his in-season goal is to throw it 88 mph or greater.
Coming into the 2022 campaign the pitcher’s X-factor may be the development of a viable third pitch. In 2021 Ramsey utilized more of a “show-me” curveball that he threw 80.7 mph which offered minimal movement (-4” vertical -3” horizontal). The inflection point for a curveball is 80 mph. Through coach Hayes tutelage and a grip change, the pitcher has more than doubled the movement on his hook (-9” vertical -8” horizontal). He’s also increased his zip on the pitch to 82 mph.
As White Sox minor leaguers are preparing to head to Arizona in preparation for the season Ramsey’s confidence is through the roof. Hayes has noted a marked improvement in the reliever’s velo floor and thinks big things are ahead. Last year his average in-game fastball was 95.8 mph. Now he is throwing bullpens in which he sits comfortably in the 95-97 mph range. Ramsey offered that he typically experienced a three to four mph velo bump from the bullpen to the mound during games and is excited about the possibility of becoming a frequent guest at the 100-mph club. His coach shared, “For Lane, the biggest thing is that he is going to be able to have his velocity sit consistently higher and he’s not going to have to dig so deep to find it.” As to his long-term goals Hayes continued, “He’s got a big league arm, he’s going to impress people with his work ethic and how much growth they see this year.”
As for the pitcher himself, Ramsey offers, “I leave (for Arizona) the 19th. I’m excited to get out there and ready to put this whole thing together.” Although his statistics don’t scream “superstar” yet, but his combination of size, velocity and high spin secondaries represent a tantalizing package. By rushing him through three minor league levels in 2021, the Sox obviously recognize his promise as far more than an organizational depth piece. Early in the season fans can monitor his progress in Charlotte and hopefully see the culmination of his hard work. Sox enthusiasts should be excited about Ramsey and his potential to bring additional bullpen help to the south side.