A Familiar Act Plays Out at Alhambra

The peach fuzz visible above Noe Ramirez’s lip, otherwise known as a mustache, gives the illusion of physical maturity.

But those watching Ramirez pitch for Alhambra would never correctly guess his age, let alone his grade level.

That he is a 15-year-old freshman with five shutouts in seven starts should send chills through the Almont League coaches who will have to deal with him for the next three years.

It’s not difficult to imagine what the 6-foot, 150-pound right-hander might be like as a senior.

“He’s going to be the best I’ve had,” Coach Steve Gewecke said.

If Ramirez is even the best in his family, that would be pretty good, since older brothers Jovan, 25, and Humberto, 20, were two-time all-league players at Alhambra.

The poise and command Ramirez displays on the mound, combined with pinpoint control -- he has six walks in 46 innings -- is rare for a freshman at any level. Much of it has to do with experience from travel-ball competition and coming to games, where he watched and learned from his brothers.

“I studied them,” he said.

When he’s not pitching, Ramirez plays third base and is batting .364. On the mound, he’s 5-2 with a 1.37 earned-run average.

It was a no-brainer for Gewecke to put Ramirez on the varsity. The older brothers had been bragging about him for years. On the opening day of fall baseball class, Gewecke finally got to see what all the fuss was about.

“It took us one day to figure out this guy is going to play varsity,” Gewecke said. “He’s the best of the bunch. It’s ridiculous. He locates his fastball as well as anyone we’ve had.”

There’s only one school this season that has caused problems for Ramirez. Montebello has beaten him by scores of 8-2 and 4-1.

“They like fastballs, and that was my mistake throwing fastballs to them,” Ramirez said. “My curveball wasn’t working.”

Ramirez isn’t the only freshman making major contributions at the varsity level.

Second baseman Brent Tani of Long Beach Poly is batting .492 with 20 runs batted in. Second baseman Jose Jauregui of West Hills Chaminade is batting .424 with no errors. Right fielder Brandon Ertle of Placentia El Dorado is hitting .386 with five home runs.

Third baseman Tyler Chatwood of Redlands East Valley is hitting .348. Second baseman Austin Barnes of Riverside Poly has started every game for a team ranked No. 1 in the Southland by The Times. Pitcher Nick Russo of Simi Valley has a 2.14 ERA.

As for Ramirez, his professional-like demeanor has been an asset. Though Ramirez was beaten for a second time by Montebello last week, Humberto didn’t sense any panic in his brother.

“I don’t like to see him fail, but it’s part of him growing up,” Humberto said. “He came home pretty normal. I guess he took out his frustration at the game. When he came off the field, it was like any other day. I tell him, ‘You can’t win them all.’ ”

The brothers used to play together in the front yard of their home in Boyle Heights. Noe would pitch.

“Sometimes I’d get them but never strike them out,” he said. “They were really good. I was 12. Now that I’m older, I could get them. I’d tell them, ‘Wait until I get to high school. I’ll strike you out.’ ”

The older brothers are proud and excited to see how well Noe has been performing.

“It’s really fun,” Humberto said. “If he keeps going in the direction he’s going, the sky’s the limit. It’s all up to him.”

Ramirez seems to understand that yearly improvement is a must to become a top pitcher. Already possessing superb control and good velocity, his future will be determined by his work ethic and dedication to getting better.

“I’m just staying humble,” he said.