The Pirates Prospects 2015 Prospect Guide is now on sale. The book features prospect reports on everyone in the system, the 2015 top 50 prospects, and the most comprehensive coverage of the Pirates’ farm system that you can find. While the top 50 prospects are exclusive to the book, we will be releasing the top 20 prospects over the next few weeks. Be sure to purchase your copy of the book on the products page of the site.
To recap the countdown so far:
20. Luis Heredia, RHP
19. JaCoby Jones, SS
18. Willy Garcia, OF
17. Clay Holmes, RHP
16. Gage Hinsz, RHP
15. Trey Supak, RHP
14. Cody Dickson, LHP
13. John Holdzkom, RHP
12. Adrian Sampson, RHP
We continue the countdown with the number 11 prospect, Harold Ramirez.
11. Harold Ramirez, OF
Ramirez had a chance to be a breakout candidate in West Virginia in 2014, a year after he was one of the best prospects in the New York-Penn League. He hit well when he was healthy, but suffered two injuries during the season that limited his playing time. He went down early in the season with a hamstring injury, costing him about a month. He went down later with a stress reaction in his shin, which ended his season on July 1st.
The second injury came at a horrible time. Ramirez was riding a 23 game hitting streak, and had a .347/.389/.446 line during that stretch. He was praised for his strong hitting ability heading into the season, with a quick bat and a line drive stroke. He showed off his contact skills not only with the hitting streak, but also due to the fact that he had a hit in 41 of his 49 games this season.
While Ramirez was hitting a ton, he didn’t draw many walks and didn’t hit for much power. The lack of power isn’t a big concern at the moment, since he is still young, and has the potential to hit homers in the future. He won’t be a big power guy, but should hit for enough power to be a starting option. He showed improvements with the walks, and didn’t strike out much. He’s got good plate patience skills, despite what the lack of walks show.
A lot of teams weren’t sold on Ramirez when he was originally signed, but the Pirates liked him enough to give him seven figures, and their biggest bonus ever for a Latin American hitter. That move is starting to pay off, as he is looking like a guy who could be a strong all-around player, with the ability to hit for a strong average, hit for some power, provide speed on the bases, and play center field. His value to the Pirates is either as a trade chip, or a potential replacement for one of the current outfielders if his game progresses enough.
The Pirates could send Ramirez back to West Virginia in 2015, due to his missed time at the level. If he goes to Bradenton, it would probably be due to his excellent contact skills, despite the lack of time at a lower level. They can take their time with him, due to the outfield trio in Pittsburgh.
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