Tuesday, April 28, 1998 | 9:11 a.m.
The Las Vegas Stars pitching staff, weakened by the major league call-ups of Carlos Reyes and Donne Wall and an injury to Will Cunnane, will get some more ammo soon.
Machine gun ammo.
Mexican League pitching star Roberto Ramirez, nicknamed "La Metralleta" (The Machine Gun) and the object of a fierce recruiting battle between the San Diego Padres and Colorado Rockies, is expected to join the Stars as soon as his work visa is granted.
"(The work visa) is already sent in," Las Vegas manager Jerry Royster said. "As soon as he gets it, he'll be activated by us. It should be any day."
The 25-year-old left-hander compiled a 73-32 record over the past eight seasons with the Mexico City Red Devils of the Mexican Summer League, including a 5-0 mark this year. He is a four-time Mexican League all-star who owns the highest winning percentage in league history. He is also one of only two players in the history of that league to record no-hitters in consecutive seasons.
Ramirez spent much of spring training with the Padres in Peoria, Ariz., before heading back to Mexico City.
"(The Padres) liked what they saw but they didn't have room on their roster for him," Royster said. "So he went home (to Mexico) and pitched well. Now the Padres are ready to take a chance."
An expensive chance.
According to his agent, Oscar Suarez, Ramirez signed a split contract with San Diego that will pay him $170,000 if he plays in the major leagues and $7,500 a month in triple-A. Bloomberg News reported the Padres also paid the Mexico City Red Devils $300,000 for his rights. The Mexican club could also receive an additional $100,000 depending on how many days Ramirez spends in the major leagues.
"The Padres are very high on this guy," Royster said.
What does Royster think?
"I like him a lot," he said. "He throws at least four pitches well and changes speeds on all of them. He throws hard for a left-hander. He has good control. He's a good find."
The Colorado Rockies would agree. They thought they had a deal with Ramirez and filed a grievance with the National League after he agreed to terms with the Padres.
But National League president Leonard Coleman ruled in San Diego's favor last week with the concurrence of Major League President Paul Beestan and William Murray, baseball's executive director of operations.
"This was real hard," Suarez told Bloomberg News. "Both clubs are good organizations. I think he's happy in San Diego, and he would have been happy in Colorado. Business got in the way."
Because the Stars have the maximum 23 players on their roster, one player will have to be reassigned when Ramirez becomes eligible.
"When he gets here we'll have to make some room for him," Royster said. "We'll worry about that when that day comes."
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