As the Chicago Cubs staged their training camp in Mesa, Ariz., Pedro Ram\u00edrez took mental notes on the older players who had earned Gold Gloves, All-Star selections and World Series rings. The young infielder from Venezuela wanted to make a positive impression by being humble, consistent and observant.<\/p>\n
Nico Hoerner, Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman are leaders by example, players who are not only talented but also immersed in their craft. Their attention to detail is a prominent feature of this experienced Cubs team, as well as a resource for those who want to learn and improve.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest takeaway from just being around them this spring was seeing that each one of them has a specific routine,\u201d Ram\u00edrez said this week through an interpreter. \u201cIt really does make such a big difference when you\u2019re going out there to play and you follow through on all these things that you need to do to prep.\u201d<\/p>\n
That working environment in camp illustrated different parts of a large organization. The Cubs are a dispassionate, data-driven operation and a team that has handsomely rewarded baseball gym rats for their intangibles. Recognizing the importance of culture and optionality, the club is constantly gauging players\u2019 values and thinking about the future.<\/p>\n
To become a perennial playoff contender, the Cubs will need viable depth to withstand in-season injuries, marketable prospects at the trade deadline and a steady flow of young talent to balance the major-league payroll in subsequent years.<\/p>\n
Ram\u00edrez, who recently turned 22, projects to have a solid floor as a switch-hitter with defensive versatility and room to grow.<\/p>\n
Ram\u00edrez played his way onto the club\u2019s 40-man roster last year with a strong season at Double-A Knoxville, where he was almost three years younger than the average player in the Southern League. In 129 games, he posted a .280 batting average, 8 home runs, 73 RBIs, 28 stolen bases and a .732 OPS.<\/p>\n
As a third baseman, Ram\u00edrez was recognized with a 2025 Minor League Gold Glove. The shortstop on that award-winning list was Konnor Griffin, the Pittsburgh Pirates rookie who recently signed a nine-year, $140 million contract extension.<\/p>\n
In getting promoted to Triple-A Iowa to start this season, Ram\u00edrez did not incorporate a specific element from spring training into his routine. Rather, the experience reinforced an appreciation for players such as Hoerner, Swanson and Bregman, a reminder of what it takes to perform at the highest level.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more understanding that I need full focus when I am preparing,\u201d Ram\u00edrez said, \u201cto really let myself sort of get lost in that routine and never waver from it and cut corners.\u201d<\/p>\n
That internal drive propelled him to a red-hot start to the season. In his first 16 games at Triple A, he is hitting .328 with 5 home runs, 19 RBIs, 7 stolen bases and a 1.026 OPS. While the sample is small \u2014 and the gap between Iowa and the majors is big \u2014 underlying metrics such as contact rate and exit velocity are also encouraging.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, the Cubs would be content if Ram\u00edrez gets close to a full season with Iowa. Ideally, from the club\u2019s perspective, Hoerner, Swanson and Bregman would play 150-plus games this year and enter the postseason healthy.<\/p>\n
\u201cPedro has certainly shown early in his career that he can handle himself defensively,\u201d Cubs manager Craig Counsell said during spring training. \u201cWe\u2019re going to try to expand a little bit of his value defensively, because as you break into the big leagues, you\u2019re not just going to be handed a position. You\u2019re probably going to have to move around, and where the opportunity happens is where you get to play.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told Pedro, \u2018You\u2019re on the 40-man roster, you had a strong season in Double A. Your job is to make us say after this camp: Yeah, when something happens, we can call on you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Now listed at 5-foot-9 and 200 pounds, Ram\u00edrez was originally an undersized and overlooked prospect in Venezuela, where he grew up as the second of four children, the son of a stay-at-home mother and a father working in agriculture.<\/p>\n
Back then, Ram\u00edrez was not a high-profile international free agent. Rather than focusing on the size of a potential signing bonus, he wondered whether he would even get a professional contract. When he returned home from a showcase with a deal in hand, his family greeted him at Sim\u00f3n Bol\u00edvar International Airport with tears of joy.<\/p>\n
The long journey continued when the Cubs executed the agreement in January 2021, the beginning of a franchise-altering period that would rock almost every level of the organization.<\/p>\n
The Cubs are presently set up with nearly $500 million invested in Hoerner, Swanson and Bregman, who each have a full no-trade clause. Swanson is signed through 2029, Bregman is under contract through 2030 and Hoerner is now extended until 2032 following his Opening Day agreement.<\/p>\n
Given the number of pitchers already on the injured list, the Cubs will likely make that area a focus at the trade deadline. More injuries are inevitable, and the Cubs acknowledged they were remarkably healthy with their position players last year, and thus likely due for some regression in that aspect. All those needs will put the farm system under the microscope.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll I can do is prepare,\u201d Ram\u00edrez said. \u201cI will always be prepared to go at any position, whenever they call upon me. But I don\u2019t get it in my head about thinking about a phone call coming. That\u2019s just out of my control. Phone calls are up to them. The only thing I can promise to them is that I will be ready.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the Chicago Cubs staged their training camp in Mesa, Ariz., Pedro Ram\u00edrez took mental notes on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":677532,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2399],"tags":[5,138,24,4245,161,4],"class_list":{"0":"post-677531","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-cubs","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-chicago","10":"tag-chicago-cubs","11":"tag-chicagocubs","12":"tag-cubs","13":"tag-mlb"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116419540122385898","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/677531","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=677531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/677531\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/677532"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=677531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=677531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=677531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}