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Monday, May 12, 2003

Somewhere along the line, there was a miscommunication. Lloyd McClendon told Aramis Ramirez he was getting the day off yesterday against the Arizona Diamondbacks in yet another attempt to get Ramirez out of a funk that has dragged the Pirates down to their normal laughable, losing status. Ramirez apparently took him literally because he clearly wasn't ready to hit when he had to bat in the ninth inning of the 2-1 loss after replacing ejected Jack Wilson. His three-pitch strikeout consisted of a called strike, a check swing and a half-hearted swing at a pitch up and away. It might have been his worst at-bat of the season, which, if you've been watching him try to hit, is saying something.

Unfortunately, it also was predictable.

It really isn't that hard to pin much of this latest numbing defeat on Ramirez even though he had just that one miserable plate appearance and -- for a change -- didn't make an error in his one inning at third base. The run-starved Pirates desperately needed him in the lineup, yet he has been going so badly that McClendon thought it better to sit him for a game. The results were about what you would guess. The Pirates managed just five singles and a double. They are 5-13 at PNC Park, have lost all six of their home series and are getting increasingly difficult to watch.

It's not all Ramirez, of course. But it is fair to say he's been the biggest disappointment in an early season filled with disappointments.

"Aramis Ramirez is our third baseman," Dave Littlefield said, firmly, yesterday. "We're not going to go out and get a third baseman to replace him. He's the guy we've got ... Frankly, he's a guy we need to play well to help us improve as an organization."

Say this of Littlefield: He has more patience than the rest of us put together.

Tell the truth. Wouldn't you love to see the Pirates send Ramirez to the minors for a few weeks? Maybe that would wake him up and get him going.

Here's a little secret: More than a few of Ramirez's teammates would endorse that move. Many are tired of his act -- not so much his hitting woes, but his inexcusable concentration lapses in the field. There are whispers in the clubhouse that he has not been the same player since the Pirates signed him to big money after his .300-average, 34-home run, 112-RBI season in 2001. The team owes him $3 million this season and $6 million next season. That was Littlefield's work, by the way. You can't blame Cam Bonifay.

"All indications are that this is a very talented major-league player," Littlefield said, calmly. "Our on-field staff believes it. Our scouting staff. Our front-office people. All indications from other teams' trade requests are that they believe the same thing."

As for Ramirez pulling a Derek Bell and taking the Pirates' money and running, Littlefield said, "That's just not true. This is a proud guy. He cares deeply about his performance." He pointed to Ramirez losing 20 pounds during the off-season and reporting to spring training in his best shape.

Littlefield's theory is that Ramirez has pressed all season. Pressed to prove his play last season was a fluke and the result of a bad ankle. Pressed to pick up the slack left by injured Brian Giles. Pressed to make up for his fielding inadequacies by hitting a home run every time up.

"That's part of the maturity process at the major-league level," Littlefield said. "You'll find that more mature hitters are concentrating on the pitch at hand instead of trying to make up for whatever they're trying to make up for."

It's obvious Ramirez also is pressing to win back the home fans, many of whom have turned on him nearly as fast as they've turned on McClendon. It's not just his .210 average at PNC Park. Eight of his 11 errors have come at home and only one of his 12 RBIs.

"The onus is on his shoulders to get better," Littlefield said. "But it's also on our coaching staff. They get paid to help players make improvement."

You don't have to tell McClendon that his shaky future with the Pirates rests largely in Ramirez's hands. That's why he and his coaches have had Ramirez out repeatedly at 3 p.m. for extra hitting and infield work. That prompted one opposing scout to say over the weekend, "Sometimes, you can work a guy too hard. They're leaving his game on the practice field. They should just let the kid play."

The point about Ramirez still being a kid is one that can't be forgotten here. He won't turn 25 until next month. The Pirates owe him all of that money and don't have anyone with close to his power to play at third base, but the No. 1 reason they can't give up on him is his vast potential. They've got to keep running him out and hope he finds his game.

It's still too soon to say Ramirez won't be a franchise player.

Still too soon to say he's a waste of $9 million.