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Mets Top Prospects For 2022: No. 7 Alex Ramirez, OF

By John Sheridan

March 15, 2022 No comments

Alex Ramirez, Photo by Ed Delany of MMN

No. 7 Alex Ramirez, OF

B/T: R/R     Age: January 13, 2003 (19)
Ht: 6’3″       Wt: 170 lb.
ETA: 2025  Previous Rank: 15
Acquired: International Free Agent Signed July 2019 ($2.05 M signing bonus)
2021 Stats (St. Lucie) .258/.326/.384, 15 2B, 4 3B, 35 RBI, 16 SB, 7 CS

With Ramirez getting one of the larger signing bonuses in New York Mets history, we got the sense of just how special a player the organization thought he could be. After just one professional season, we saw the tools at play, and we saw Ramirez get attention as one of the emerging and best prospects in the game.

In fact, to some surprise, Keith Law of The Athletic would go so far as to name Ramirez as the 100th best prospect in baseball. This may come as a surprise for a player who posted a 96 wRC+, but behind those numbers Law saw a player who was great defensively in center, had great speed, and could “be grade 60 or even 70 power when he fills out.”

In terms of his putting up relatively poor offensive numbers, it may get lost Ramirez is still a teenager, and he is stateside playing full season minor league ball. He was also 3.3 years younger than the competition. That is certainly part of the reason we saw him post a below average wRC+, and he struck out 31.1% of the time.

Naturally, there are adjustments needed to be made to get him to keep his bat in the zone more and to better identify his pitches. There’s also a lot going on with Ramirez’s swing with the Mets likely taking the time over the course of this season to quiet it down and get him more direct to the ball. That said, when he gets a hold of one, watch out:

Ramirez can really get a hold of one at the plate, and he can do damage. Really, he promises to be a big threat offensively with the power and the speed on the base paths. His speed is really what sets Ramirez apart right now. He can stretch a single to a double, double to a triple, and he is able to steal a base. More than that, it has helped him play elite defense in center field.

In center, Ramirez gets good reads on the ball, and he has good routes. With his speed and burst, he has tremendous range. He makes the plays he is supposed to make, and he makes the ones no one expects you to make. His pairing that with a strong arm makes him all the more of a weapon in center.

One issue for Ramirez is he may begin to fill out at some point. With that may come the loss of some of his speed. That’s not to say he would need to move out of center, especially with his other tools. Long term, Ramirez looks like a center fielder with the ability to play plus defense.

As Ramirez does fill out, we can also expect him to do more damage at the plate. Remember, this is a teenager playing against 20 something year old pitchers and posting 100 MPH exit velocities. That’s where the most excitement comes with Ramirez. He is still very raw, and despite his being pushed against much more polished competition, he more than held his own.

As he progresses through the system, he will not be as raw. We will very likely get to see his tools shine, and we will see him emerge as more than a fringe top 100 prospect. He has the ability to be one of the very prospects in the game, and we may very well see it begin to happen during the 2022 season.

Mets Top Prospects 29-30
Mets Top Prospects 27-28
Mets Top Prospects 25-26
Mets Top Prospects 23-24
Mets Top Prospects 21-22
Mets Top Prospects 20 Eric Orze
Mets Top Prospects 19 Hayden Senger
Mets Top Prospects 18 Jaylen Palmer
Mets Top Prospects 17 Adam Oller
Mets Top Prospects 16 Jake Mangum
Mets Top Prospects 15 Carlos Cortes
Mets Top Prospects 14 Joel Diaz
Mets Top Prospects 13 Calvin Ziegler
Mets Top Prospects 12 Simon Juan
Mets Top Prospects 11 Jose Butto
Mets Top Prospects 10 Nick Plummer
Mets Top Prospects 9 Dominic Hamel
Mets Top Prospects 8 Khalil Lee

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Written by John Sheridan

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