BURLINGTON, N.C. -- Former Burlington Sock Puppets pitching coach Horacio Ramírez is joining the Atlanta Braves organization as a pitching coach at their Florida complex. Ramírez served as the Sock Puppets’ pitching coach during the 2023 Appalachian League season, leading a staff that paced the circuit in strikeouts. The Sock Puppets won the East Division (29-19) for a second straight season before a runner-up finish in the Appalachian League Championship Game.
“Horacio was an incredible asset to the Appalachian League," said Justin Morgenstern, Director of Player Personnel of the Appalachian League. "He did a tremendous job as Burlington’s pitching coach and served as a mentor to the young men on his staff. No one is surprised to see him back with a Major League organization. It is where he belongs.”
Ramírez returns to the Braves organization that selected him in the fifth round of the 1997 Draft out of Inglewood (Calif.) High. He made his Major League debut with Atlanta early in the 2003 season and remained a fixture on the team’s pitching staff through 2006, compiling a 30-22 record over 86 appearances (84 starts). Ramírez recorded a career-high 12 wins as a rookie in 2003 and established career-highs in both starts (32) and innings pitched (202.1) in 2006.
Acquired by the Mariners before the 2007 season, Ramírez made 20 starts during his lone season in Seattle. Following Major League stints with the Kansas City Royals (2008-09), Chicago White Sox (2008) and Los Angeles Angels (2011), Ramírez pitched internationally for the Korea Professional Baseball’s (KBO) Kia Tigers (2012) and spent 10-plus years pitching in the Mexican League, ending with the 2022-23 Mexican Pacific Winter League season.
The Braves hired Ramírez as a Major League coaching assistant before the 2014 season. He also served as the pitching coach for Team Mexico during the 2023 World Baseball Classic after pitching for the team in the 2013 Classic.
"To have anyone with the record and career that Horacio has had on our staff is just special," added Anderson Rathbun, general manager of the Burlington Sock Puppets. "We are incredibly thankful of the time Horacio invested into our players, organization and league, and wish him, his wife and kids nothing but the best as he rejoins the Braves organization."
The Sock Puppets will defend their back-to-back divisional titles when the Appalachian League kicks off on June 4. Stay tuned for more updates on roster news, single-game tickets, promotional calendar releases and more from the Sock Puppets at gosockpuppets.com and @gosockpuppets across all social media.
