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Cal State Fullerton's Ramirez excited to join Sox

By Jason Mastrodonato / MLB.com | 06/07/11 11:52 PM ET


- Noe Ramirez and his Cal State Fullerton teammates were eliminated from the NCAA tournament Sunday, and the 21-year-old pitcher who led the team in wins this season was devastated.

But his spirits were suddenly lifted on Tuesday afternoon, when he heard his named called in the First-Year Player Draft, selected by the Red Sox in the fourth round.

"It was a surreal feeling, man" Ramirez said by phone from his California home. "The Red Sox, it's a great organization, great tradition, great history. I'm real pumped to be part of that now.

Red Sox Draft recap00:01:316/7/11: MLB.com looks at the Red Sox's picks in the 2011 First-Year Player DraftTags: Boston Red Sox, MLB DraftShare:
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I still feel pretty bad about being eliminated, because I definitely had bigger expectations for our team. It's tough, but this definitely brought me up."

Ramirez was the staff ace for the Titans this season, going 8-4 with a 1.69 ERA and 103 strikeouts to 20 walks in 90 2/3 innings. He allowed just one home run all season, holding opposing hitters to a .179 batting average.

Through the second day of the Draft, the Red Sox have selected 33 players -- 17 in college and 16 in high school. With 11 college pitchers compared to eight in high school, scouting director Amiel Sawdaye said Ramirez was the perfect guy to balance some riskier picks elsewhere in the Draft.

"A guy like Noe Ramirez, he's been a performer for three years and played on Team USA," Sawdaye said, reached by phone on Tuesday night. "So it's a pretty good balance and we're excited."

Ramirez earned a silver medal with Team USA at the V FISU World University Baseball Championships in Tokyo last summer. He recorded five saves and a 2.70 ERA in a team-high nine appearances, all out of relief.

"We haven't really talked about that," Ramirez said when asked if he would continue as a starter or pitch out of the bullpen. "I'm not too sure on that. Sure, I've done it before. It's a comfortable deal with me, so that's something I could do."

Ranked 28th on Baseball America's 2011 Top 100 College Draft Prospects list compiled Jan. 3, Ramirez was also named a preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball.

"My pitch is definitely the changeup," the junior said. "That's something that I feel my successes came from. I feel comfortable throwing all the pitches I have -- fastball and slider. But the changeup has definitely been my pitch."


Round 4, Noe Ramirez, right-handed pitcher, Cal State Fullerton: Ramirez jumped up draft boards after another strong year with the Titans. The crafty righty has a fastball that touches the low 90s, though he relies heavily on his offspeed pitches.

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