After spending the beginning of the season with the EDA Rhinos of the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan, Manny Ramirez is officially back playing on American soil.
The legendary outfielder had a successful first at-bat for the Triple-A Round Rock Express, a single into right field off pitcher Yordano Ventura. Ventura is a Top 100 prospect in the Royals organization and has 110 strikeouts in 92 1/3 innings split between Double-A and Triple-A this season. Ramirez went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout in his debut with the Express, and was pleasantly surprised with his performance.
“Not bad for not playing in two weeks or facing a pitcher,” Ramirez told MiLB.com. “I’ve got to make some adjustments. Haven’t faced a guy in two weeks and [Ventura’s] throwing 100.”
Ramirez called Triple-A a “big jump from Taiwan.” Check out the slugger’s classic swing in the video below (he’s wearing No. 99).
