Scouting Notes: Ramirez Key Piece to Lee Deal for Phillies

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- For most fans, the highest level of interest when it comes to blockbuster deals is directed toward the stars involved or the universally well-known prospects. Sometimes, however, the key components to these trades can be the last prospect in the deal.

When the Phils dealt Cliff Lee to the Mariners, J.C. Ramirez was considered to be a high-upside wild card. If Ramirez continues to throw the way he did in Clearwater on Saturday, Phillies fans have a lot to be excited about.

Others making strong impressions on this day in camp were Brett Wallace (right) for the Jays and Jonathan Singleton for Philadelphia. We'll also take a look at the players who didn't look quite so sharp in this spring training edition of scouting notes.

Breaking Ball Big for Ramirez

Of course, J.C. Ramirez was no secret to scouts or anyone who follows prospects, and he was certainly no secret to the Phillies. But, with much of the attention focused on Phillippe Aumont, it's easy to overlook just what a talent Ramirez is. On Saturday, pitching for the Phils' Double-A squad, the 21-year-old right-hander showed off his ability in a big way.

The plus arm was impressive right off the bat, as I got my first look at Ramirez. But, as he moved through the lineup it was his breaking ball and his ability to use it in hitters' counts that made him all the more intriguing. Ramirez lived at 90-93 mph, reaching 94 twice in his brief outing. In midseason form we could probably expect to see him living comfortably at 92-94 mph. On top of that, Ramirez has a great deal of heavy, late life down in the zone. In simplest terms, his fastball gets on top of the hitters a lot quicker than they're expecting. Part of that comes from his easy delivery, and part of is the late movement.

All that said, it's the use of the breaking ball that makes Ramirez a very viable future big league starter. He didn't show much in the way of a third pitch in this stage of the spring, but you have to like the feel for a second pitch. At 76-80 mph, it could probably be called a curveball but Ramirez refers to it as a slider in his warmup tosses. It grades out currently as an average offering but has the potential to be a plus pitch, or a 60 on the 20-80 scale. He sometimes looks to sacrifice some bite to locate it for strikes. It was very key though to see him so consistently around the plate and willing to use it quite a bit to both left- and right-handed hitters.

The book on him in the past had been that the slider had good bite but that he lacked command. With that in mind, it seems possible he is making a clear effort to perfect his breaking ball command, but may be temporarily sacrificing some sharper action to get it. But with so many good arms reliant on their hard, moving fastballs it is absolutely a positive development to see the improved location of a secondary pitch. The action and consistency will need to improve, however.

If this early showing is any indication, Ramirez potentially has the makings of two above-average pitches with command. The fastball command has room for improvement but at this stage in the year it's unfair to make a full assessment of that. It's also rather clear why he had his share of struggles in 2009. Like countless young pitchers, the consistency just isn't there. Much like he showed in his outing on Saturday, however, there are impressive glimpses of the raw stuff and command that had Phillies talent evaluators so impressed.

Quick Hits

• There is always a question consistently asked about talented young left-handed hitters when they come up to the big leagues: Can they hit left-handed pitching? While he's not one of baseball's best and is still a prospect, lefty pitching prospect Joe Savery presents a good test for a hitter like Brett Wallace. Toronto's newly acquired prospect put together an outstanding at-bat on Saturday against Savery, laying off the breaking ball and turning around a 91-mph fastball for a long home run to right.

• Left-handed-hitting first baseman Jonathan Singleton was arguably one of the better draft picks beyond the first few rounds in the 2009 draft. The Phils picked him up in the eighth round, but in his short minor league career, he's had the look of a top-couple-round type talent. I was especially high on Singleton last summer in the Gulf Coast League, but it appears he has continued to improve heading into 2010. Singleton does a couple things at the plate that are very difficult to teach. He has a middle-of-the-field approach and creates outstanding backspin and carry to left-center. Even in spring training action on Saturday, Singleton looked focused on quality at-bats and using the whole field. And, considering his age and limited experience, his plate discipline and consistent quality at-bats make him an especially interesting offensive prospect.

• Things weren't all good around Phillies minor league camp, however. Savery had several aggressive swings taken against him and clearly was not fooling anyone. His velocity fluctuated from 86-91 mph, reaching 92 once. When his velocity rose, his fastball began to flatten out up in the strike zone. There was also limited consistent command of his breaking ball within the zone. It's very early of course, but chalk this one up as a bumpy appearance for Savery.

Frankie Piliere spent the last three seasons working as a scout, most recently in the professional scouting department for the Texas Rangers in 2009. He now serves as the National Baseball Analyst here at FanHouse.