#9
Milton Ramos, SS/2B
Biography: Ramos was born in Hialeah, Florida on October 26th, 1995 and attended both Florida Christian High and American Heritage High School, among other high schools. His was a well-known name on the prep circuit heading into the 2014 draft with a reputation for stellar defense and outstanding speed. The word “flashy” and “brilliant” were words used to describe his defense at shortstop during his prep years, which in itself provides tremendous intrigue for a high-schooler. It was heading into his senior year, however, that Ramos bulked up a bit as he matured physically. This ultimately rounded him into more of a complete prospect that received even greater attention from Major League clubs as draft day approached.
The Mets drafted him in the third round of the 2014 draft, 84th overall. There were some concerns about his maturity before the draft, with some questioning his makeup (he went to four high schools), possibly explaining why he fell to the third round. The Mets obviously didn’t see a problem and potentially got a steal of a player some pre-draft write-ups called the best defender in the class and had going somewhere in the 50s. Post-draft commentary from some scouts confirms that he was a player that probably should have gone a bit higher than the third round.
Scouting: The long and short of it is that Ramos has a plus glove, is a plus runner, and has an above average arm surrounded by questions regarding his long-term bat potential. At draft time he was known to be an aggressive swinger with very little power. However, his bat speed is above average and he has quick hands, leading to the belief that as he bulks up more he could very well hit double digit home runs on yearly basis. His hit tool may always be limited and way behind his glove, but the potential is there for him to be a starting Major League shortstop. His baseball IQ has also gotten praise.
2015: Ramos spent the bulk of his playing time in 2015 on the Kingsport Mets in the short-season Appalachian League where he started putting doubts about his bat to rest. As a 19-year-old, he slashed .317/.341/.415 with 11 doubles and a single home run. These are all good signs for a player with questions about his bat, though his year wasn’t without its downsides. First, he didn’t utilize his speed well as he was caught eight times in twelve chances. Not such a huge deal for a young, aggressive player. More interestingly, though, is the fact that he was sent back down to the Gulf Coast League for a few weeks in July after starting off hot with Kingsport. It’s unclear what the reasoning was for this, however. For what it’s worth, he slashed a poor .194/.256/.222 in 39 plate appearances there before being sent back up to Kingsport. It’s possible he’ll see his first full-season action with Columbia next year where his bat will truly be put to the test.
Brian: “His ISO dropped some and his walk rate fell in half from his debut in 2014, which no one thought was special. But the hits were falling in at a nice rate and he rockets up prospect lists. A .372 BABIP may not be completely outrageous in the low minors but because of that, my outlook is more bearish on him.”
David: “My fear is that Ramos becomes Wilfredo Tovar or Ruben Tejada Part II, but my hope is that he can be a .700 OPS SS and maintain his already excellent defensive capabilities.”
Rob: “The Mets, struggling to find a solution at shortstop since the days of Jose Reyes, seem to be very deep at the position on the farm. Ramos is yet another superb defensive shortstop in the Mets system with questions about his bat. He’s the best defensive SS in the system, as a matter of fact, and has the potential for much more with his bat than initially expected. He did quite well in his first couple of seasons. If the bat continues to develop, a big if since it is well behind his glove, look out.”
James: “Another young middle infielder has found their way to our top 10 section. We finally saw some life from his bat in Kingsport over 43 games, and if he can continue to hit the ball, Ramos should have a bright future ahead of him.”
Ramos is the first high draft pick that the Mets went overslot to get, so it’s obvious they see something there. I’m glad he’s in the system.
Four high schools in four years is a major red flag. However, I am very glad to see this group draft a pure athlete for a change: speed, glove, talent.
The blogs I have read indicated that he was busted down to GCL because of maturity issues and the Mets had more staff at PSL to keep an eye on him. I doubt this one ever works out, but perhaps he becomes a trade chip.
I had come across suggestions of this as well but didn’t want to add that speculation to the article. Still, it only lasted a few weeks and he’s only 20. I think it’s a bit early for doubts based on his behavior, but it’s certainly a concern moving forward.