Former Texas Tech baseball pitcher AJ Ramos spent a decade in MLB. Now he embarks on new career as broadcaster with Miami Marlins, MLB Network Radio.
Had you been out driving around early on Christmas Day, you might have heard former Texas Tech baseball standout A.J. Ramos on satellite radio discussing, among other topics, the unseasonably warm weather in Lubbock.
Ramos built a long career for himself by throwing a baseball. Now he's doing one of the next best things: Talking about baseball for a living.
Along with his duties as part of the Miami Marlins' broadcast team, the 39-year-old former pitcher works as a fill-in host on MLB Network Radio (SiriusXM channel 89).
"I started a podcast and stuff to kind of put myself out there to show people that I'm doing media," Ramos said last weekend before the Tech baseball alumni game, "and then I went to this career development summit the MLBPA puts on, and I did a radio hit, and from that I got hired. So I started that in '24, and it's pretty cool, being able to talk about baseball and give my experience. It's been fun."
MLB Network Radio carries some live play-by-play, but its forte is round-the-clock baseball talk. Ramos co-hosts, as needed, on talk shows "The Leadoff Spot," "Power Alley," and "Loud Outs".
The Estacado graduate recently moved back to Lubbock with his wife and two young daughters. He can host the MLB Network Radio shows from anywhere, including at home, with participants connecting remotely via Zoom. The lineup of show hosts features baseball media, former players, and former front-office personnel such as general managers.
"It's cool," Ramos said, "because everyone has a slightly different perspective, even player to player. So we start having a conversation, someone gives their take, and you sit back and think, 'I never thought of it that way before,' and you get to ask questions. I feel like that's what fans benefit the most out of, because there's guys — and girls — talking different perspectives and you get to learn different ways of how to see a ball game."
From 2012 through 2021, Ramos appeared in 381 Major League games, all out of the bullpen, compiling a 17-18 record, a 3.04 earned-run average and 99 saves. He racked up 430 strikeouts in 373 1/3 innings for the Marlins (2012-17), the New York Mets (2017-18), the Colorado Rockies (2020) and the Los Angeles Angels (2021).
He had 32 and 40 saves, respectively, for the Marlins in 2015 and 2016, then combined for 27 saves with the Marlins and the Mets in 2017, before shoulder injuries that ultimately ended his career five years later. He underwent surgery for a torn labrum in 2018 and said he needs another.
According to Baseball Reference, though, Ramos earned more than $20 million over his Major League career. Not bad for a 5-foot-10, 200-pound righthander drafted in the 21st round.
Ramos says self-confidence propelled him.
"I thought I would do it even for longer," he said. "I think when you have my stature and my ability, you have to be a big dreamer, because there's so many people telling you otherwise — you're too small, you don't throw hard enough, all these different things.
"So the belief I had in myself was something that exceeded even expectations a lot of people put on me. I had to have that type of mindset to be able to make it to the big leagues. Especially getting drafted in the 21st round as a senior sign, you don't get a lot of runway. If you mess up, you're closer to being out than a first-rounder."
At his youthful peak, Ramos could hit 96 or 97 mph on the radar gun. More often, he lived at 92-94 and, later in his career, 91-93. He attacked hitters with sliders, cutters, four-seam fastballs, changeups, curves, and the occasional two-seam fastball.
"Again, with my stature and I didn't throw 100, you have to be a little bit tricky up there," he said, "so I had a lot of tools to be tricky with."
Ramos expects to do 50 or 60 Marlins games on radio this year. His TV duties are to be determined based on the Marlins' switch, just announced this week, from financially strapped FanDuel to Marlins.TV, a platform operated by MLB. Regardless, Ramos expects to have a role on the TV side, including pre- and post-game shows at the stadium.
He could also do some college games on ESPN.
"People would think calling a game would be hard," he said, "but you have a lot of time to talk about whatever you have to talk about. You're doing pre- and post-game, you have five minutes to talk, and you've got to talk about 10 different things, and you've got to be able to say something concise and still be able to make a point. That's been the challenging part, but that's also the fun part about it as well."
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech baseball alum AJ Ramos turns from pitching to broadcasting
Category: General Sports
