1 quality that makes young SF Giants outfielder's breakout season so exciting

There are many qualities that make SF Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos' potential breakout season so exciting. However, one quality stands out and it is the fact that he was drafted and developed by the organization.

1 quality that makes young SF Giants outfielder's breakout season so exciting

The Giants have not been able to say that much over the past 15 or so years. In the late 2000's, Pablo Sandoval, Buster Posey, Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Madison Bumgarner came through the farm system. Brandon Belt and Brandon Crawford joined that group in the early 2010's. Since then, the well from the farm system has run mostly dry.

If you squint at the current roster, you can start to see a small nucleus of young position players consisting of Ramos and Patrick Bailey. Perhaps, Luis Matos and Marco Luciano will join that group down the road.

The last time the Giants had two young position players contributing on an everyday basis was back in 2015 with Joe Panik and Matt Duffy. Posey, Belt, and Crawford were not that old either then. However, Panik and Duffy started to show that they could be the next in line of young Giants players to impact the club.

The question is whether Ramos can sustain this level of production. The right-handed bat is slashing .320/.416/.515 (170 wRC+) with five home runs, 20 RBI, and 12 runs in 113 plate appearances. This includes a 13.3 percent walk rate, 30.1 percent strikeout rate, and a .196 ISO.

The strikeout rate is elevated and I would not expect his walk rate to remain that high. Plus, the .448 babip will come down at some point. That said, he is barreling up pitches consistently and hitting for power. Those traits are less dependant on babip.

What makes this so exciting is that there is a semblance of fan equity in a player developed through the system by the time he reaches the majors. Fans know about a top pick like Ramos for years and they are invested in his success.

Not only that, but a player that comes up through the system could be with the club for at least six years. Since Farhan Zaidi has taken over as team president of baseball operations, he has generally patched up the roster through free agency, waiver claims, and minor trades.

There is nothing wrong with that and he has had some successes with players like Thairo Estrada, Mike Yastrzemski, and LaMonte Wade Jr.

However, building a roster through free agency is like a band-aid to a foundational problem. That problem is that a team has a need that it cannot addres in the monent through the draft or the international market.

Contrast Ramos' potential breakout season with Carlos Rodón's one-year stint with the club in 2022. There was nothing wrong with Rodón's stint with the Giants. He was fantastic and one of the best pitchers in baseball. It was a memorable year.

The lefty pitcher had an explosive Giants debut, striking out 12 batters across five innings against the Miami Marlins. He joined the club on a two-year pact with an opt-out after the first season. It was probably as soon as his first start with San Francisco that you knew his time would be temporary.

On the other hand, Ramos could be part of the solution for 2024 and years to come. Giants fans have not been able to say that about many prospects lately but it is exciting when it happens.