Brewers' Nick Ramirez: Transitioning to the mound

Ramirez is beginning to transition from first base to pitcher during the Brewers Instructional League, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

After spending three years at the Double-A level with declining offensive production, it appears the Brewers would like to try Ramirez out as a reliever in order to keep him in the organization. The 27-year-old did act as the closer while he was at Cal State-Fullerton, converting 16 saves in his final collegiate season to go with a stellar 1.13 ERA and 11.6 K/9. Those stats did come from 2011, however, so he may need a bit of time to get accustomed to pitching to professional hitters. That being said, left-handed relievers with that kind of strikeout ability are hard to come by, so if the 27-year-old can get back into the same groove he was in during his final season in college, he could finally manage to move past Double-A.