SF Giants Top Prospect Heliot Ramos Suffers Oblique Injury

While SF Giants fans should be excited to hear the organization’s prospects are back on the field, no one was happy to know that top prospect Heliot Ramos is nursing an injury.

The third-best prospect in the SF Giants system, outfielder Heliot Ramos suffered an oblique injury during instructional league play, according to Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. It would not be shocking if the organization decides to hold him out for the remainder of camp, even if he is cleared to return. Ramos suffered another oblique injury earlier this year and so the team should be expected to proceed with even more caution than usual.

Ramos was selected by the Giants in the first round of the 2017 draft. He was considered a toolsy prospect with the potential to develop into an above-average player on both sides of the ball. Over the past three years, he’s continued working towards that ceiling. After a breakout 2019 campaign, he was poised to get his first extended look at upper minor-league competition in 2020. However, that obviously, never came to fruition with the minor-league season canceled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Still, prior to the start of instructional league play, Ramos was one of the few prospects that were allowed to work at the team’s alternate site in Sacramento through the summer. The experience gave him opportunities to face plenty of fringe-MLB, Triple-A, and Double-A caliber pitchers from the Giants system. According to an industry source, he showed off his power on one occasion with a home run that recorded a 111 mph exit velocity off of Trevor Cahill.

People around the industry rave about his character and work ethic and expect him to do everything he can to reach his full potential. On the defensive side of the ball, Ramos may be able to stay in center field but has a strong enough arm to be an above-average right fielder even if he loses a step athletically as his body matures. Offense though, is where scouts are most excited.

Ramos has a swing that could consistently generate 50+ extra-base hits a season and possibly even 30 home runs. As is common with young prospects, he must continue improving his hit tool to be able to more consistently take advantage of that power. In 2020, Ramos hoped to continue improving his walk and strikeout rates that had already made progress the previous year.

The SF Giants have been aggressive with Heliot Ramos ever since he’s turned pro. He’s younger than the team’s 2020 first-round pick Patrick Bailey and has already played at Double-A, the Arizona Fall League, and the team’s alternate site. An injury is never good for any player, but given the timing and Ramos’ age, it should not impact his stock heading into the 2021 season.