First on our Top 20 player by player countdown was right-handed reliever Akeel Morris who actually got to make his Major League debut in 2015, read about him here.

#19 SS Milton Ramos

Ht: 5’11” Wt: 158 Age: 10/26/1995 (20)

2015 Level: Rookie Kingsport Mets, Rookie Gulf Coast League Mets

Statistics: 54 G, 218 PA, 200 AB, 12 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 27 RBI, 8/39 BB/K, 4 SB, .295/.326/.380

It’s no secret that the Mets’ minor league system is oozing with shortstops. Take a peek up and down the organizational depth chart from last season, and you’re sure to find a promising prospect at nearly every level.

Reynolds in Vegas. Cecchini at Binghamton. Rosario with St. Lucie. Guillorme down in Savannah.

But don’t stop there. If you keep going down, all the way to Kingsport, you’ll come across two names. You’d see Luis Carpio and Milton Ramos. Carpio is a top prospect in his own right (and will have his moment later in the countdown), but Ramos is certainly an intriguing young ballplayer.

The 2014 draft will forever be known among Mets fans as the one in which Michael Conforto joined the organization to embark on a prosperous career. However, the front office did not fail to pick more talent. With their next selection, in the third round, they nabbed Ramos, a scrawny high school shortstop from south Florida.

The initial draft reports on Ramos were clear. Elite defender with minimal bat potential. Many draft experts touted him as the best defensive infielder in the entire draft, and to pick such a player where he fell would certainly be a steal. The questions surrounding him as a hitter were worrisome to say the least.

Nevertheless, Ramos officially signed with the Mets fairly quickly, and garnered a $750,000 bonus, which was around $98,000 over the slot value. He headed to the Gulf Coast League in late June of 2014 to begin his professional career, and understandably got off to a slow start, ultimately hitting .241 in 166 at bats. The more important stat to note, though, is Ramos’ innings in the field. Of the 386 frames he played in Port St. Lucie, a strong 146.1 were spent manning second base, a smart move by the organization to test his versatility. He handled the position just as cleanly as his natural spot.

In 2015, Ramos came out of extended spring training with Kingsport (R). He got off to a hot start, hitting .341 through his first 11 games, but spent some time back in the GCL for a couple of weeks in July. After returning, Ramos had stellar games at the plate here and there, like his four-hit effort against Elizabethon on August 28, but failed to recapture the on-base presence he had displayed earlier in the season.

The fact that Ramos did have stretches of excellence with the bat is a promising sign of his development. If you look at his pre-draft swing here, it’s easy to see some of the hiccups in his mechanics. First, he brings his front foot from the far edge of the batters box all the way to the other side. That creates a high leg kick, slowing down his overall process, although his arms are strong enough that he’s able to get around quickly and with force. He also moves his hands around before beginning the motion to the ball, which could be hard to get consistent with.

I’m sure the Mets staff is hard at work developing this kid as a hitter, because his potential as a defender is obvious. It’s clear that the team likes him and thinks he has a shot to be a player who can help a team perfectly in the field where it’s needed most. They’ll likely send him to Brooklyn (SS-A) to start 2016, and if he’s making strides at the plate, Columbia (A) will be in the near future.

They say pitching and defense wins championships, and while Milton Ramos will likely never go near a pitching rubber for the rest of his career, he’s got one helluva glove, and he’s not afraid to show it.

Prior Prospect Articles: 25-21, 30-26 35-31,  40-36,  45-41, 50-46, 60-51, 70-61, 80-71

(Signing bonus information courtesy of  tpgMets.blogspot.com)