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Ramos born to a baseball family

Tribune photo by MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER

Graham Ramos and the Plant Panthers are heading to the Class 5A state semifinals in Port St. Lucie

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 24, 2009

TAMPA - Every day at practice, Plant High senior infielder Graham Ramos can view five baseball-shaped boards lining the outfield wall, a tribute to the most important figures in the program's history.

9 Boggs - Wade Boggs, who won five American League batting titles, collected 3,010 career hits and entered the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1995.

18 Hudek - John Hudek, a relief pitcher who played in the 1994 All-Star Game.

1 Vardo - Jeff Vardo, coach of the Panthers' 1988 state championship team.

35 Urso - Joe Urso, who won back-to-back NCAA Division II national titles while coaching the University of Tampa Spartans.

Then there's one more.

5 Ramos.

"Most people think it's me up there," Ramos said with a smile.

Actually, it's his uncle John, Plant's former all-state catcher who played in the College World Series for Stanford University, then made the big leagues with the New York Yankees in 1991.

Graham Ramos hopes to make his own history. The Panthers (24-8) meet Stuart South Fork (27-3) in Monday's Class 5A state semifinals in Port St. Lucie. If Plant wins, Tuesday night's championship opponent could be Armwood, which faces Tallahassee Chiles in the other semifinal.

Winning a state championship would give Ramos a place of honor at family gatherings.

His father, Wilfred, was a second baseman on Plant's 1975 state semifinal team, playing in the same infield with Boggs. One uncle, James, played at the University of Florida, and another, Paul, was in the minor leagues.

"All we talk about, pretty much, is baseball," Ramos said. "There's no escaping it. But it's a good thing. I love it."

John Ramos serves as assistant coach at Plant. He doesn't give his nephew special treatment, but he serves as a constant example.

"Whenever I'm hitting bad, I like to look at the tapes of Uncle John when he was hitting," Ramos said. "That helps me out a lot. I watch what he did, and I try to copy that. When I was little, my dad helped me with hitting. In high school, a lot of it has come from Uncle John and what he teaches."

Ramos, who has signed to play for Urso at UT, has learned his lessons well.

He hit three home runs at the Saladino Tournament, tying a record at the event.

Against East Lake in the region quarterfinals, he smashed a two-run walk-off homer in Plant's 3-1 victory.

Overall, Ramos is batting .316 with seven homers and 24 RBIs.

Plant coach Dennis Braun gives Ramos his highest marks in leadership and versatility. When top prospect Mychal Givens pitches, Ramos is Plant's shortstop. But when Givens takes the field at shortstop, Ramos shifts to third base.

"Not a lot of guys can make the transition between those positions, back and forth, back and forth," Braun said. "But Graham has come up in this game, he works at it and he really loves it. I've learned that loving this game is the most important part. If you don't love it, you're not going to put the extra work in to be a good player.

"All of the Ramos family comes to the games and they're all supportive. Graham might not even realize it yet, not so much how important baseball is to them all, but how it bonds all of them together. It's special."

Givens, who has known Ramos since third grade, said the family ties have made a difference. Ultimately, though, he said Ramos' skill stands on its own merit.

"Some people might be intimidated by trying to live up to the family name, but Graham has never changed," Givens said. "He's always the same, trying to be the best he can be, doing whatever he can for the team.

"He's a great player. And he is his own person."

Reporter Joey Johnston can be reached at (813) 259-7353.

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