SF Giants prospect Heliot Ramos traveling to join MLB team on Sunday
23-year-old outfielder Heliot Ramos was a late scratch from Triple-A Sacramento's lineup on Saturday. A source informed Giants Baseball Insider that Ramos was unavailable because he is traveling to join the SF Giants in San Francisco on Sunday. Ramos was off to a solid start at Triple-A this season, hitting .333/.355/.370 with a double and three stolen bases in seven games.
SF Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos jogs towards the dugout between innings. (2022)
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
The 17th-best prospect in the organization, Ramos bounced between Triple-A and the majors last season. He hit .227/.305/.349 at the highest level of the minors and was just 2-for-20 against big-league pitching. Below is an excerpt from the scouting report on Ramos entering the season.
Ramos has an above-average arm and has excellent defensive instincts in the outfield, giving him a chance to play all three outfield positions. However, his big-league potential is almost entirely tied to his ability to undergo a massive swing change to unlock his power. That's far easier said than done, but Ramos has moved quickly throughout his career. For context, he's more than a year younger than Vaun Brown and will not turn 24 until September. He's never shown significant platoon splits, which means he will either develop the pop to be an everyday player, or will be a soft-hitting AAA outfielder.
Drafted by the Giants in the first round of the 2017 MLB Draft, Ramos was a consensus top-100 prospect after a breakout 2019 season. However, since the canceled 2020 minor-league season, Ramos has been unable to generate above-average production against upper minors competition.
While it's possible that a Giants player suffered an undisclosed injury in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Royals, it seems most likely that Ramos will replace corner bat Matt Beaty on the active roster. Beaty, who was acquired in a minor trade on Opening Day, is a left-handed hitter and has an option remaining. With the SF Giants likely slated to face left-handed starting pitchers Kris Bubic, Clayton Kershaw, and Julio Urías in three of their next four games, Ramos would give manager Gabe Kapler another right-handed bat to deploy.
