Minor League Mondays: Alex Ramirez holds his own with St. Lucie

One area where the New York Mets have been working on improving in their farm system is investment in the international free-agent market. The Mets didn’t put a ton of resources into this talent pool before the return of Omar Minaya a few years ago, who made some high-profile additions to bolster the team’s prospect base. One of Minaya’s final signings was Dominican outfielder Alex Ramirez, who received a $2.05 million signing bonus during the 2019-20 international signing period. Ramirez, who has spent this year with Low-A St. Lucie, is the focus of this week’s edition of Minor League Mondays.

The pandemic delayed Ramirez’s professional debut by a year but he has more than held his own for St. Lucie. In 68 games this season, Ramirez has batted .259 with five home runs, 33 RBI’s, 15 stolen bases and a .715 OPS. While those numbers don’t seem too impressive, it is worth mentioning that Ramirez is just 18 years old and is playing against players several years older than him, making this performance a positive sign.

There is a ton of potential in Ramirez’s game since he has the ability to be a five-tool star. Ramirez’s speed is his best asset right now, as evidenced by his 15 stolen bases, and he is already a solid defender in center field with a good arm. The area that will be key for Ramirez’s development is his hit tool, which will take a bit as his swing needs a bit of work. Ramirez is a bit lanky at 6-foot-3 and just 170 pounds, so there is power potential as his frame fills out.

That potential alone is why MLB.com has rated Ramirez as the Mets’ seventh-best prospect. Ramirez is essentially the separating line between the Mets’ top prospects and the next tier of players who have a lot of potential at the lower levels of the minor leagues. The Mets will surely bring Ramirez along slowly to give him time to develop with an assignment at High-A Brooklyn likely to begin 2022.

There are also a wide range of potential outcomes for Ramirez, who has star potential if he can unlock the best of all his tools. Ramirez will need to improve significantly at the plate for that outcome to happen, but he does have plenty of time to get that work done.