Former Met Wilson Ramos joins Ducks in time for playoff push

All sorts of players have passed through Ducks manager Wally Backman’s office this season.

Some are former major league all-stars; others are still looking for a shot at the big leagues.

They all come from different directions, but as long as they play in a Ducks uniform, Backman said the goal is to win.

“The expectations are always high here, and the players know it,” Backman said. “When you look at our roster, it’s second to nobody’s. But you still have to have the right chemistry amongst those guys, and we have that.”

The newest addition to the Ducks' shifting lineup arrived as the Ducks fight for first place in the Atlantic League North Division first half standings.

Former Met Wilson Ramos, a catcher who played 12 seasons in the MLB and earned a Silver Slugger with the Nationals in 2016, signed with the Ducks on June 27. In his first four games on Long Island, Ramos hit .357 with a .929 OPS and a home run.

The Ducks won Ramos’ first four games and went 15-11 in June.

“I’m here to help this team, and also looking for another opportunity to come back to the big leagues. I know I can still play, but I’m excited to be here. I’m having fun,” said Ramos, who's nicknamed 'The Buffalo'. “I talked to my family before this opportunity, and they just said 'go out there and have fun, no matter what happens.'”

Ramos is one of a handful of former major leaguers looking to prove themselves with the Ducks this season.

Six of those players are former Mets, now playing under Backman. Ruben Tejada, who played for the Mets from 2010-15, then again in 2019, hit .276 with a home run and six RBIs since joining the Ducks on June 13, entering Saturday night.

Tejada joined the Ducks as an old teammate, Daniel Murphy, left. Murphy played for the Ducks this season before the Los Angeles Angels signed him to a minor league deal in mid-June.

“Getting the opportunity to get back to the big leagues and show everyone I’m healthy and I want to keep playing, that’s the key here,” Tejada said. “We have a few veteran guys, and those guys have played a lot of baseball around the world. So, it’s good to stay focused and push each other to keep going the same way.”

That same way is toward a playoff berth, which the Ducks missed last season for the first time since 2014. As of Saturday, they sat half a game behind York for first place in the North Division.

The division winners at the end of the first half of the season qualify for the playoffs in the Atlantic League. The first half ends on July 7.

“Our expectations are just as high as any major league club that thinks they’re supposed to win and go to the World Series,” Backman said. “Our expectations are the same. We expect to win, and we were very disappointed last year because we didn’t get to the playoffs.”

“The last couple days I’ve been here I saw that we have good talented players, a good team, and a good pitching staff,” Ramos added. “So, we’ll have an opportunity to make the playoffs and a good chance to win a championship. That’s the goal.”