The Dallas Morning News has definitely stated:
Evan Grant reports that the Rangers have traded center fielder Kenny Lofton to the Cleveland Indians for 23-year-old catcher Max Ramirez.
If the prospect is correct (I don't doubt the Lofton acquistion), then Rangers GM Jon Daniels has pulled off a deal he can be proud of. Max Ramirez can hit and draw walks!
Here are his career numbers:
| Year | Level | Team | Age | G | AB | XBH | HR | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | CR |
| 2004 | Rk | GCL Braves | 19 | 57 | 204 | 25 | 8 | 35 | 19 | 50 | 0.275 | 0.339 | 0.480 | 0.755 |
| 2005 | Rk | Danville | 20 | 63 | 239 | 27 | 8 | 47 | 31 | 41 | 0.347 | 0.424 | 0.527 | 0.828 |
| 2006 | A | Rome | 21 | 70 | 235 | 25 | 9 | 34 | 46 | 63 | 0.294 | 0.414 | 0.477 | 0.732 |
| 2006 | A | Lake Cty | 21 | 37 | 127 | 11 | 4 | 26 | 30 | 27 | 0.307 | 0.435 | 0.465 | 0.787 |
| 2007 | A+ | Kinston | 22 | 77 | 277 | 32 | 12 | 62 | 53 | 63 | 0.303 | 0.418 | 0.505 | 0.773 |
The Baseball America Prospect Book 2007 ranks him 21st in the Cleveland organization and does not offer the accolades I did. However, I will be interested to read if their assessment has improved after seeing him sting the ball in the 2007 XM Satellite Futures Game.
Some club officials believe his ceiling could be as a utility player along the lines of Olmead Saenz...