Agustín Ramírez is working on his agility, reaction, and strength to elevate his game after a historic rookie season, facing new competition for his catcher role.
For better and for worse, Miami Marlins catcher Agustín Ramírez does things that not many catchers do.
It's not easy for a player at that position to hit 21 home runs and steal 16 bases, and Ramírez became the first rookie catcher in history to accomplish that feat in 2025.
It's also not easy for a player to only throw out eight base stealers in 91 attempts, and Ramírez unfortunately accomplished that feat, too, last year.
Per Statcast, the average catcher throws out just a shade under 30 percent of base runners. Ramírez threw out .088 percent, and also ended the season with 10 errors.
He knows he must be better in 2026, and appeared Tuesday on the Marlins Hot Stove Show to talk about his goals.
Two big things Ramírez pointed out were physical strength and defense, and he was specific in talking about what he felt hindered him in 2026.
“Just been working on what really damaged me in the game,” he said. “The agility is something that I’ve been working a lot on, the reaction is something that I truly need to improve, and my body. I’ve been working a lot on my body, and again I truly want to just get to spring training and start showing what I have right now.”
Agility and reaction are both critical for a catcher.
As for Ramírez's body, he's currently 6-foot-1 and 210 pounds.
If he gets stronger, he might be able to improve his power numbers enough to hit 25-30 home runs in a season, something no Marlins catcher has ever done.
This spring training will be the first one Ramírez is breaking into as a big-league regular, but he has competition for his catching job.
Joe Mack is the Marlins' No. 2 hitting prospect and one of the 10 best catching prospects in all of baseball. Mack is 23, so he probably doesn't have to wait much longer to make it to the show.
How well Mack and Ramírez perform during spring training could help determine whether Mack makes it to the Opening Day roster.
Mack will be there to put the pressure on Ramírez and vice versa, but the good news for both of them is that the National League has the designated hitter. FanGraphs currently projects Griffiin Conine to be Miami's DH.
But since Conine's MLB career is limited to 54 games, it's conceivable to think that Ramírez could end up as the team's DH instead of him; that way, he'll be able to focus on hitting without worrying about catching.
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