Federal Baseball goes one on one with Nationals legend Wilson Ramos
With his family just outside the zoom screen, the greatest catcher in Nationals history, Wilson Ramos talked with me about his career and reflected on his time as a National. Ramos just recently announced his retirement, after nearly two decades of professional baseball and over a decade in the big leagues. After 6.5 seasons in the Nationals, Ramos spent time with the Rays, Phillies, Mets, Tigers, and Guardians.
Ramos said he had been thinking about retirement for a year, wanting to spend more time with his family. He said, “I lost a lot of time with my kids during my career. Now after a 20 year career, I want to spend some time with them”.
After being traded to the Nats from the Twins, he got to learn from hall of fame catcher Pudge Rodriguez, who was with the Nats at the time. When I asked about Pudge, Wilson’s eyes lit up. Rodriguez was a player the young Wilson looked up to, saying “I followed his whole career since I was little, and he helped me be better”. Sometimes it is best not to meet your hero’s, but that was not the case here. Ramos said he learned a lot about the art of catching from him. In particular, he said Pudge helped him call games and communicate with pitchers.
Ramos clearly took pride in calling games and working with pitchers. He said his favorite memories were “the no-hitters I caught with Zimmermann and Scherzer, as well as the 20 strikeout game”. His greatest memories were not individual moments at the plate, but rather being a part of dominant pitching performances and guiding those pitchers through the game.
This makes sense given that Ramos is a catcher through and through. In fact, one thing he told me he regrets is never playing any other positions. He was always a catcher ever since he was a kid, so it was tough for him to adapt to playing other positions. However, he regrets not being able to, saying it was “sad that I never played any other positions because it could have helped me play longer”.
Another thing an older, wiser Ramos would recommend to his younger self is to take training more seriously. When he was younger, Ramos said he “trusted his talent”. Later in his career the Buffalo committed more to working out.
Speaking of that Buffalo nickname, Ramos said that was something that originated in DC. His teammates started calling him that first, then it stuck and expanded to the fanbase as well. He looked back on those times fondly, saying “It was a great nickname, especially with the fans. I remember them wearing the Buffalo hats which was fun”. Ramos was always a fan favorite in DC, with his personality being very fan friendly.
As well as the Buffalo nickname, fans always loved his walkup song, ‘Wilson’ by Phish. Fans would go into a frenzy chanting his name to the tune of the song. Wilson enjoyed the spectacle, saying “I loved when the fans were chanting my name. It made me feel excited. It gave me some more energy to have good at bats and do damage”. Maybe it really did have an effect on his performance, given his career OPS at home is 50 points higher than his road OPS.
2016 was a magical year for Ramos. He said it was his favorite Nationals team, citing good teammates and his own brilliant season. Ramos made the all-star team that year, and was one of the best catchers in baseball. He was also managed by Dusty Baker, who he very quickly called his favorite manager when asked.
While the season ended with an unfortunate knee injury, it was still a magical year for the Buffalo and was enough to earn him a good contract in free agency with the Rays. He enjoyed his time in Tampa, saying it was his favorite team to play for besides the Nats. Being from Venezuela, he had a lot of friends in Florida. He now lives in Florida full time, having become an American citizen.
Now that he is retired, the Buffalo is now off to greener pastures. For now he wants to relax with his family and rest. Given how long he has been in the game and how much time it has taken away from being with his family, he deserves it. However, it is clear that Wilson Ramos is not done with baseball just yet. He still has that love for the game and wants it to stay a part of his life.
He said he really enjoyed working with young players in Venezuela, going down there for winter league. Ramos expressed interest in working for an organization someday. With all of the former Nats at Spring Training this year, it would be great to see the Buffalo in West Palm Beach in the years to come.
The Buffalo was one of my favorite players growing up, and it was a pleasure to chat with him. Wilson Ramos is the greatest catcher in Nats history, and was beloved among the fanbase. It is clear that the love goes both ways, with Ramos saying, “I have some great memories at Nationals Park. The city took care of me and the fans showed me love”.