San Francisco Giants: Heliot Ramos quickly making up for lost time

San Francisco Giants prospect Heliot Ramos is quickly making up for lost time since returning from a knee injury.

With the San Francisco Giants mired in a trying season at the MLB level, more attention then ever is being paid to the farm system.

Outfielder Heliot Ramos was providing some early reason for excitement when he hit .270/.422/.587 with five home runs and 11 RBI in his first 19 games of the season at High-A San Jose.

Then, this happened:

The 19-year-old ended up missing just over a month, before finally returning to action on May 27.

So far, in the three games he has played since being activated from the injured list, he has picked up right where he left off:

• May 27th: 1-for-4
• May 28th: 3-for-4, HR, 3 RBI
• May 30th: 1-for-3, HR, 1 RBI

His home run on Thursday came off San Diego Padres farmhand MacKenzie Gore, who is widely regarded as one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball.

https://twitter.com/MiLB/status/1134281219338903552

All told, Ramos is now hitting .297/.426/.649 with five doubles, seven home runs and 14 RBI in 94 plate appearances in 2019.

While the over-the-fence production is no big surprise given his plus raw power, his improved plate discipline this season has been a promising development.

His walk rate has spiked from 6.5 to 14.9 percent and he is doing it against higher-level competition after making the climb from Single-A to High-A to start the year.

All things considered, Ramos is likely still a couple of years away from reaching the majors. The Giants have no reason to rush him and risk hampering his development when contention is not in the cards.

Still, if he keeps making adjustments while turning his raw power into in-game production, he’ll continue rising the minor league ranks and leaguewide top 100 prospect lists alike.

It may be a long road ahead for the San Francisco Giants, but Ramos is one player providing a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.