Braves Acquire Wilkin Ramirez for PTNBL

The Atlanta Braves have acquired Detroit Tigers outfielder Wilkin Ramirez, recently designated for assignment, for a player to be named later or cash considerations.

Ramirez, 24, will join the Braves Triple-A Gwinnett team.

He’s appeared in 15 major league games, all in 2009, going 4-for-11 with a triple and a homer.

Ramirez had a big 2008 in Double-A, hitting .303/.371/.522, but regressed somewhat in Triple-A last year, and was sent back to Double-A in 2010. He hit just .241/.311/.538, showing power but whiffing 84 times in 56 games. He somehow made the Futures Game World roster anyway.

Ramirez has struggled in Triple-A since being promoted, batting just .216/.273/.346 in 41 games. He hit .258/.326/.445 at the level last year.

An athletic player, Ramirez has stolen 106 bases since 2007, and he also has 67 homers in that span.

He’s an average defender in left field as well.

Ramirez needs to tighten up his strike zone to have a big league future, either by taking more walks or striking out less. Running up 60/10 K/BB ratios doesn’t work if you strike out 1 1/2 times per game.

Still, he’s got some good tools, and the Braves are pretty good with player development, so for little cost, he’s worth a look.