Tuesday, November 13, 2012

#27 Pirates Prospect - Harold Ramirez

Buried Treasure Top 30 Prospects
#27 - Harold Ramirez

Measurables: 5'11, 175
Bats: R, Throws: R
Position: CF
Acquired: IFA, 2011
Bonus: $1,050,000
DOB: 09/06/1994
Buried Treasure 2012 Top 20: Not Ranked



2012

Harold Ramirez was only the second player ever to come out of Latin America that received a 7 figure bonus, the other being Heredia.  Like Heredia, Ramirez was also sent stateside for his first professional season, making him one of four prospects in the Pirates organization to ever receive such an aggressive placement during his first professional campaign.

In his first season, Ramirez did well to hold his own as a 17 year-old playing in the GCL.  He played 39 games and had 146 plate appearances.  In those plate appearances, he posted a .259/.310/.333 line and had an unlucky .298 BABIP, unlucky especially in the light of Ramirez's plus-plus speed.  Ramirez had a low 4.1% BB rate and a decent 13.7% K rate. In addition, he showed minimal power hitting 1 homerun and having only 6 other extra base hits out of 35 hits total, calculating out to a .074 ISO.  Still, he managed to get on base some and not seem overwhelmed at the plate, positive signs for a 17 year-old stateside.  In addition, a leg infection cost Ramirez the first month of the season, making his performance even more impressive.

From a scouting perspective, Ramirez has outstanding speed that should serve him well in centerfield and on the bases.  Defensively, Ramirez has a good shot to stick in centerfield, although his arm is fringy.  At the plate, Ramirez's small frame doesn't offer much power potential, but he has a good swing to hit for average and a polished approach for such a young player.  Ramirez might not have the potential of tall, lanky, athletic teenagers coming out of Latin America, but he's got a good chance to fulfill his potential and become an above-average centerfielder in the major leagues, reliant on his plus-plus speed and ability to get on-base.

8 comments:

  1. I've really enjoyed reading your profiles - well done. First comment here for me.

    One question - what leads you to think his BABIP was unlucky? Is it just his speed or do you think he'll hit for a really high average? The GCL BABIP was .305. So, Ramirez' BABIP was right in line with that.

    Again - many thanks for the effort. Looking forward to the rest of the list.

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    Replies
    1. Speed. In the minor leagues, speed almost always leads to a high BABIP if everything else is in line. If the GCL BABIP was .305, I'd expect Ramirez's BABIP to be .330 or so.

      I'll actually check the batted ball data right now though.

      His line drive % was fairly low, but his groundball % was higher than average, so his speed should have been a factor. Maybe he wasn't incredibly unlucky (maybe it shouldn't have been .330), but I think there was some unluckiness.

      Thanks for the feedback.

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  2. Thanks for the clarification and the batted ball data - good stuff.

    Also - do you know how to get in touch with the admins at Only Bucs? I'd like to interact with the people on the board, but registration is closed (not sure why that is) and my email to the admin email address hasn't been replied to.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jason, I'm not sure we got the email. I will look into it.

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  4. Jason,

    Please click on my name at the top of this comment. You will get my blogger profile. Simply send an email to the addy listed below my profile name. In the email give me the user name that you want to use on OBN. I will take care of getting you registered.

    Thanks for your interest in OBN.

    ReplyDelete