Wednesday Newsletter time: The story behind Cole Winn's tattoo and how he wants to be a shark on the mound for the Texas Rangers
The right-hander's ink is small in stature, but it carries significant meaning whenever he pitches.
Not much gets past a group of reporters, so it didn’t take long Monday afternoon for a member of the fourth estate to notice a hard-to-notice tattoo on the left wrist of Texas Rangers prospect Cole Winn.
It’s of a shark fin stick above a squiggly line that represents the ocean. Yes, there is a story behind it.
“I’ve grown up loving sharks,” he said after a day of seminars at Globe Life Field. “One of the sports psychologist I work with, Brian Cain, he posted a thing one day of ‘be a shark.’ They don’t care what day it is or if they’re having a bad day. They’re going around doing cool shark stuff. So, you want to live like shark.
“My mom and I kind of took it and ran with it.”
Wait. His mom?
She got one, too.
“Yeah, my mom’s pretty cool,” the 2018 first-rounder said.
Winn said once again that he believes he is ready to pitch in the majors but understands the developmental side. Though he was the Rangers Minor League Pitcher of the Year, he has made only two starts at Triple A Round Rock.
He expects to make his MLB debut in 2022, though, and take the shark mentality to the mound with him.
“Sharks are supreme in the ocean, so you’ve got to have that mentality on the mound as in your self-talk has to be confident, your body language has to be confident,” he said. “You have to apply that to pitching.”
Sad local baseball news
The Tampa Bay Rays shared on Tuesday that bullpen catcher Jean Ramirez had passed unexpectedly at age 28 in Fort Worth. Ramirez was a star player to Saginaw Boswell High School, graduating in 2011.
My only interaction with Ramirez came while covering the 2020 World Series for another outlet. Think about it: A kid form Saginaw, who flamed out in the minor leagues, was working in the major leagues, for the American League champions, in the World Series, in his hometown.
“If you had asked me two or three years ago if I was going to be here, I would have said, 'Absolutely not,’” Ramirez said between Games 4 and 5 of the Fall Classic at Globe Life Field.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Fort Worth police responded to a call Monday afternoon but did not provide addition information. The Tarrant County medical examiner was to perform an autopsy in the coming days.
“Jean was an incredible teammate and friend,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said in a statement. “He brought so much passion and energy each day to our clubhouse and bullpen, and his love for the Rays and baseball was evident to all who interacted with him. He had the biggest heart and most infectious smile. We extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Jean will be deeply missed.”
Where to find us
With more people signing up for the Newsletter, both free and paid, it’s probably a good idea to remind everyone where to find us when not checking your email or visiting jeffwilson.substack.com.
There are three of us and multiple social-media platforms where we post stuff.
Jeff Wilson: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
John Moore (the Recliner Nerd): Twitter, Instagram
T.R. Sullivan: Twitter
Texas Rangers Baseball Podcast
Texas Rangers Baseball Podcast YouTube channel (new videos posted Tuesday)
Doggy video!
Obviously, these two are brothers. Enjoy. See you Thursday.
