Ramirez learning quirks of LF wall in Cleveland

CLEVELAND — Hours before Monday’s game against the Rangers, Indians bench coach Brad Mills stood alone in left field, baseballs strewn throughout the outfield grass. Mills would pull a ball out of a bag, hit it off the left-field wall and study the way it caromed.

Mills repeated the process over and over, and was eventually joined by left fielder Jose Ramirez, who is still learning the quirks of Progressive Field’s 19-foot wall. They discussed a play from Sunday’s game, and they talked about what Mills found during his solo session with the green-padded behemoth. Mills then hit a few balls off the wall so Ramirez could practice fielding the ricochets.

“We just kind of played with it a little bit,” Mills said. “When he got out there, I kind of talked to him about what I saw when I hit balls. And then he came out there and we kind of walked through it. I didn’t try to wear him out. I just wanted to stand there and just see how balls come out and see where he needs to go when a ball’s hit in a particular area.”

The pregame study session came about for a couple of reasons.

For starters, Mills has noticed that the wall has played slightly different this year. The bench coach is not sure why, but some balls have seemed to …

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