San Francisco Giants: Heliot Ramos makes major climb in Top 100 update

MLB.com released their updated Top 100 prospect list on Tuesday, and San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos was among the biggest risers.

The San Francisco Giants have two prospects that rank among the 100 best in all of baseball, according to the updated Top 100 prospect list at MLB.com.

Catcher Joey Bart, who began the season at No. 22 on the list, now checks in at No. 19 overall thanks in large part to several elite prospects moving on to the majors.

Bart is arguably the top catching prospect in baseball right now, though this year’s No. 1 overall pick Adley Rutschman will have something to say about that once he begins his pro career.

In other words, seeing Bart ranked so high was by no means a surprise.

However, a pleasant surprise did come a bit further down the rankings where slugging outfielder Heliot Ramos slotted in the No. 57 spot.

That’s a significant climb from his No. 92 ranking on the preseason list, and it made him one of the biggest climbers in the latest update.

Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com wrote: “After a rough 2018, Ramos looks more like the guy who raked during his pro debut in 2017, with a .295/.389/.553 line as a 19-year-old in the Class A Advanced California League, hitting extremely well since returning from a month-long absence due to a knee injury.”

While the power production is great and that batting line looks awfully nice, the most positive sign for Ramos has been his improved approach at the plate.

His walk rate has soared (6.5 to 11.5 percent) and working deeper counts has not led to an uptick in strikeouts as is sometimes the case. In fact, his strikeout rate (25.4 to 23.6 percent) is down slightly.

Patience will be the key with Ramos going forward.

He’s still a teenager and there will be some inevitable growing pains when he makes the significant leap from High-A to Double-A at some point later this season or at the beginning of 2020.

That said, a 2021 ETA in the majors still seems reasonable, and that could be the start of something big for the San Francisco Giants.