Ken Ramos

Kenneth Cecil Ramos (June 6, 1967 – May 15, 2016) was an American outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Houston Astros in its 1997 season. Listed at 6 foot 1 inch, 185 pounds, he batted and threw left handed.

Ken Ramos is remembered as an outfielder that reached the majors briefly in 1997 with the Astros, even though he was more renowned for his lengthy and productive minor league career.

Born in Sidney, Nebraska, Ramos attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He was originally selected by the Chicago Cubs in the sixth round of the 1986 MLB draft out of Otero Junior College in La Junta, Colorado, but he opted not to sign. He then signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Indians in 1989, and was traded to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Matt Merullo in the spring of 1994. Finally, a few days later, he was selected off waivers by Houston from the White Sox.

While with the Kinston Indians, Ramos earned a spot on the 1990 Carolina League All-Star squad. His most productive season in the minors came in 1992, when he hit a slash line of .339/.342/.448 with Double-A Canton-Akron Indians and earned Lou Boudreau Award honors as Indians' Minor League Player of the Year.

On May 15, 2016, Ramos shot and killed his wife Lisa Ramos and then committed suicide at the couple's home in Pueblo, Colorado. He left behind one daughter, Delaney.