The Cuban Missile Crisis: Why Alexei Ramirez Needs to Be Sent to AAA

I apologize for the headline. This isn't Nick Saban comparing Alabama's season to Pearl Harbor.

But seriously, there is a crisis with Alexei Ramirez, who happens to be nicknamed "The Cuban Missile."

Let me preface this by saying that it's not Alexei Ramirez' fault that he has been so bad this year. It's not his fault that he went 0-for-3 and left six men on base Monday against Baltimore.

No, it's the White Sox organization's fault.

Ramirez came into the year as the White Sox's starting centerfielder after blowing everybody away in spring training, but with the rapid emergence of Carlos Quentin, he lost playing time.

He has played once in a while over the last three weeks, but starting with this series against Baltimore, Ramirez has seen a lot of playing time at second base over Juan Uribe.

And he's looked absolutely awful at the plate. Worse than Uribe, if you can believe that.

Hawk Harrelson noted that Ramirez' swing is longer than it was in spring training when he was getting regular playing time. He hasn't hit a ball hard in ages and nearly everything he hits is a weak dribbler to shortstop or short fly ball to the outfield.

Ramirez was a star in Cuba, not a bit bench player. 

Ramirez can be a star in this league.

He's the best pure athlete in the organization, hands down. Defensively, he's well above average, as he can track down fly balls in center with the best of them and turn double plays at either second base or shortstop with ease.

He has blazing speed and is one of those guys that can frequently stretch a double into a triple.

But as a hitter, he needs regular at-bats if he wants to achieve his full MLB potential. The solution?

Send him to AAA Charlotte.

To replace him, call up Jason Bourgeois, who impressed in spring training and essentially is a Ramirez/Pablo Ozuna clone, except without the upside of Ramirez. 

If the organization doesn't want to call up Bourgeois, then they should wait until Danny Richar is healthy and call him up.

Josh Fields, Carlos Quentin, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, and Bobby Jenks are all young players who give reason to be excited about this team's future.

Ramirez can be a part of that, but only if the White Sox realize the error of their ways and send him down to AAA.