Wilson Ramos Bio, Height, Weight, Why Was He Kidnapped?
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Wilson Ramos, also called “The Buffalo”, is a professional baseball player of Spanish descent. He has played for Major League Baseball (MLB) such as the Minnesota Twins and the Washington Nationals and currently has an ongoing contract with the Tampa Bay Rays. He plays as a catcher and won the 2016 Silver Slugger Award. Ramos was also kidnapped in his hometown in Venezuela in 2011. Read why he was kidnapped and how he was released, as well as other quick facts.

Wilson Ramos Bio

A simple biography of Wilson Ramos can hardly be found on the Internet, but only fragments from his early life. It is known that he was born on August 10, 1987, in Valencia, Venezuela. His family lived and raised him and his siblings there. The name of his father is Abraham Ramos Campo and his mother is Maria Campos de Ramos. He has two brothers and one sister, David, Natanael, and Milangela Ramos. He attended high school at U.E. Santa Ines in Venezuela. His college history is not available as he may not have attended college. Ramos is of Spanish descent and his nationality is Venezuelan.

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Career

It is known that Wilson Ramos started out with the Minnesota Twins in Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2004. Much about his career in the Venezuelan baseball league is not known, but we do know that he played for the Tigres de Aragua. He signed with the Twins as a freelancer in 2004 but would make his MLB debut in 2010. For six years he played in the Minor League for teams like Fort Myers Miracle, New Britain Rock Cats, and Rochester Red Wings. During his time in the Minor League, Ramos had an impressive run, catching 43% of potential Base Stealers with a stake of 0.987. He also won the Florida State League and was ranked third best candidate for the Twins in 2009. Following an injury to Joe Mauer, Ramos made his MLB debut on May 1, 2010, and scored four goals to set a record. He was the first Twins player to score four goals in his debut since Kirby Puckett in 1984.

Wilson Ramos Bio, Height, Weight, Why Was He Kidnapped?
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However, his performances were not enough to keep him as his first choice, as he lost his place and moved to the Minor League with the return of Mauer after his injury. On 29 July 2010, he became part of a barter deal between the Minnesota Twins and the Washington Nationals. His time at the Nationals was plagued by injuries, but he still managed to publish impressive figures. He spent six seasons at the Nationals and won the National League Catchers Silver Slugger Award in 2016. In December 2016 he signed a two-year contract with MLB team Tampa Bay Rays. The contract is said to be worth 12.5 million dollars.

Why Was Wilson Ramos Kidnapped?

On November 9, 2011, an incident occurred that shocked the entire world of baseball, and therefore all sports lovers around the world, when Wilson Ramos was kidnapped from his home (his mother’s house) in Valencia, Venezuela. It was reported that four armed men stormed his mother’s house, where the Major League player was also staying, and took him away in a Chevrolet Captiva in front of his other family members – father, brother, and cousin. His face was covered with a black cloth when he was thrown onto the rear of the Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV).

Ramos, who had just returned to his home country as the MLB season had just ended so that he could still play with his home team, Tigres de Aragua, to keep fit for next season, was taken to a mountainous region near the city of Montalban in central Venezuela with the aim of exchanging him for a huge ransom in cash.

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He was rescued two days after his abduction and his captors – about eight people involved in the operation – were arrested, including a 74-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman who were supplying the kidnappers with food in their hiding place. The building in which he was held was searched, and after a series of shots between the kidnappers and the Venezuelan commandos, which lasted about fifteen minutes, he was again a free man. Ramos was in good health at the time of his rescue, with no physical injuries, and he was reportedly fed by his captors.

Wilson Ramos Bio, Height, Weight, Why Was He Kidnapped?
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For Ramos, he had just finished his rookie year in the MLB and had not earned enough money at that time to spend it on his personal security. It was reported that according to the kidnappers, the kidnapping was about “a lot of money” which they later told Ramos, while he was in their custody, that it would be about $400,000.

Wilson Ramos Weight, Height, and Quick Facts

  • Name: Wilson Abraham Ramos Campos
  • Known as: Wilson Ramos
  • Nickname: The Buffalo
  • Profession: Baseball player
  • Birth Date: August 10, 1987
  • Horoscope: Leo
  • Birth Place: Valencia, Venezuela
  • Nationality: Venezuela
  • Spouse: Yeli Ramos (m. 2014)
  • Children: 1 (b. August 2014)
  • Height: 6 feet (1.83 m)
  • Weight:  99.8 kg (220 lbs)
  • Eye Color: Black
  • Hair Color: Black
  • Salary: 5.35 million (2016)
  • Net Worth: N/A