The 22-year-old got off to a hot start in the bigs, rapping four hits in his first major league game and following it up with another three the next day. As a result, Ramos is hitting .400 over five games entering play Sunday.
For Red Sox fans disappointed that Mauer is no longer an option to don Red Sox threads, Ramos might be a pretty good consolation prize. The popular notion is that the Twins will dangle Ramos at some point for another piece that can fit in more seamlessly with the major league club.
Even though the Red Sox look to have some intriguing options behind the dish — namely recent signee Adalberto Ibarra and top prospect Luis Exposito — Ramos trumps all. The Venezuelan was ranked the No. 42 prospect in all of baseball prior to the 2010 season by ESPN.com's Keith Law.
Unlike Ibarra and Exposito, Ramos would be able to step in immediately as catcher in 2011, a season where the Red Sox currently have no major league catchers under contract. Both Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek are set to become free agents, and there is no certainty either will return.
However, should the Twins even trade Ramos?
With Mauer in the fold after an eight-year, $184 million extension, the thought should immediately switch toward making Mauer live up to that contract: putting him in the best position to produce and stay on the field.
While Mauer can absolutely stay behind the dish for years to come, it's a fact that catchers do not match other position players in longevity. It's rare to see a player stay behind the plate for years. Carlton Fisk is not the rule. He is the exception.
The Twins might be best served to phase Ramos in along with Mauer as a catching tandem to start 2011. Not only would it keep Mauer fresh in catching some games and DHing others, it would allow the Twins to keep one of the best prospects in the game in the fold.
The idea of pairing two players at a position that is crucial and physically grueling is not new. In football, a two-back system is now commonplace as opposed to throwing a featured back out there to dominate for a few seasons and then break down.
The Patriots had a four-back system at one point during the 2009-10 season with Kevin Faulk, Laurence Maroney, Sammy Morris and Fred Taylor. It worked well, with everyone able to showcase their personal talents as well as keeping everyone fresh. (Taylor would later go down with a season-ending injury, but the three-back system remained until the season ended.)
In fact, this system would likely work well on the Red Sox, if not for David Ortiz and Mike Lowell occupying the DH spot and producing well so far.
Victor Martinez has long had questions following him about whether he can last a full season behind the plate. Jason Varitek, on the other hand, has worn down each of the past two seasons when asked to catch full time. However, he clearly isn't finished with the bat and has a strong rapport with both Josh Beckett and Jon Lester.
Next season, depending on how general manager Theo Epstein approaches the offseason, we could see a catching tandem develop as there may be openings at both first and DH.
Just like the solution for the Twins with their embarrassment of riches behind the plate may be to engineer a catching tandem, the solution for the Red Sox to maximize production at catcher may be just the same.
