Washington Nationals’ Wilson Ramos is putting his kidnapping behind him

VIERA, FLA. — The traces of fresh blue and black ink peeked out from under the athletic tape wrapped around Wilson Ramos’s left wrist. Ramos squatted behind a plate Tuesday morning, his first act during the first organized workout for Washington Nationals pitchers and catchers. Each time Ramos stabbed at a pitch, the ball nestled softly in his catcher’s mitt, and the tattoo on his forearm moved, ever so slightly, closer toward his heart.

The tattoo, etched last week, contains a Bible verse in Spanish, Philippians 4:13, that Ramos translated as, “I put everything in Jesus, because he has my back.” Emblazoned under the words is 11-11-11. On November 11, 2011, Venezuelan commandoes rescued Ramos from the men who approached him outside of his home, pointed guns at his head, threw him in a Chevy Captiva and held him captive for two days.

Gallery

 This year’s spring training is the most highly anticipated one since baseball returned to Washington, as the Nationals head into the season brimming with talent and potential.

More on this Story

• Thomas Boswell: Nats are coming together, early
• Johnson sends a message to the team
• Marrero rehabbing torn hamstring
• More coverage: Nationals Journal

“I feel like I’m living again,” Ramos said. “I’ve got a new life.”

Ramos came to spring training to start his second major league season and to further separate his ordeal from his career, to separate his recent past from his bright future. Ramos, 24, is one of the most promising pieces of the Nationals’ foundation, and he wants to be defined by that and not by his kidnapping. Tuesday, he expressed gratitude that he had survived the abduction and confidence that it would not affect his baseball career.

“I’m really, really happy to be here,” Ramos said.

Ramos wants to make baseball his sole focus, and he received his first spring assignment after the pitchers and catchers stretched: catching Stephen Strasburg’s first side session of the camp.

After 10 minutes, Strasburg had thrown his allotment of fastballs and change-ups. He walked to meet Ramos halfway between the plate and the mound, where they shook hands and half-hugged.

Upon his arrival at spring training, the Nationals did not formally address the kidnapping with Ramos. They already received him in Washington in November, shortly after his rescue, and administered a full medical check-up. Tuesday, they wanted to let him move on.

Manager Davey Johnson barely referenced Ramos’s offseason to him. As Ramos caught pitches from Strasburg, Johnson sidled up to him and asked how much Ramos had played in the Venezuelan winter league following the kidnapping. A month and a half, Ramos responded.

“That’s indicative of, he’s more comfortable getting on the field rather than talking to you guys about the kidnapping,” Johnson said. “He wanted to get back in there and go play. It’s over with. And I’m sure it’s over with him.

“He’s dealt with that good. He’s in a good frame of mind. We were all scared to death, but I’m not one that deals too much in the past. I deal in the present. As far as I’m concerned, it’s history.”

Ramos did not hit well at first in Venezuela, but by the end he helped the Aragua Tigres win their playoff series. It was an important step in recovering. For Ramos, playing in Venezuela after the kidnapping — which he did under the protection of armed guards — allowed him a degree of mental stability.