Is the bloom off the rose? Heliot Ramos optioned in latest round of Spring Training cuts
The former top candidate continues to disappoint.
Before their game this afternoon, the San Francisco Giants had another cut to their Spring Training roster. In addition to the headliner Heliot Ramos, eight interested parties were transferred to the minor league camp, per John Shea: Armando Alvarez, Vaun Brown, Clint Coulter, Nick Duron, Tyler Fitzgerald, Ricardo Genoves, Trevor Hildenberger, Erik Miller.
A quick reminder that players on the 40-man roster must be given an option to be sent to the minors by the major league side. They can only be chosen in three seasons – and as of last season, teams are limited to the number of times within a season where optional players can be sent down. Once a player has exhausted their option years, they must be designated/waived for assignment in order to be sent to the minors. Ramos is on the 40 man, the minor leagues aren’t so they’re just being reassigned to another part of the organization.
A note on the minor leagues being sent downstairs: Yesterday we learned that Vaun Brown has been diagnosed with Patellar Tendonitis. According to Alex Pavlovic’s report on today’s cuts:
Btw Vaun Brown said he will only be out for about a week due to the knee problem that left him paralyzed.
Still, it’s disappointing for the few fans who thought he could wow everyone at camp (he only had 5 at bats) and braced for a midseason callup. He has to do that when the minor league season starts and keep it going. And then hope that the Giants’ very old and injury-prone roster Olds and injuries open up a spot for him.
As for Heliot Ramos, there was a time when the Giants — along with Giants fans — thought this guy could make a really solid contributor. I’m talking all the way back to last season when Zaidi basically set up the squad hoping Ramos could step up and become part of the bandwagon. He hit .227/.305/.349 (.654 OPS) in 475 Triple-A plate appearances and was 2-for-20 in 22 MLB PAs.
He turned 23 in September, so it’s not like he doesn’t have a chance of making it back into the big leagues at some point, but it’s an open question as to whether or not that will be with the Giants. No team will act for him after that combined line in 2022, or the 3-on-16 line he put up in seven spring training games. Ramos really needs to turn things around if the minor league season rebuilds his value. This is his second Option year so the Giants can hold him until next season to see if that happens, but I think we should all be in the territory where you don’t hold your breath.
For the past year, the org has been tinkering with his swing to try and increase his success at lifting the ball. So maybe we’re just looking at a player who is still in transition and therefore needs more time on the field to get used to the new approach. Speaking of Fielding, his greatest moments this spring seem to have come from a bad fielding.
A little less than two months ago, the McCovey Chronicles community tagged him as prospect #13 in the system. Last week, MLB Pipeline ranked him 18th. In their preseason recap, they said of his performance in 2022:
He has decent plate discipline but needs adjustments to better handle righties that ate him up with sliders in Triple-A.
Ramos had a plus in speed as an amateur but lost a step as he started to fill in and is now playing closer to average. Although he’s spent most of his pro career in midfield, his instincts and reduced pace are better suited to a corner.
Jim Callis also noted in that MLB pipeline report that the Giants’ system is “fickle,” and I think you’d agree that Heliot Ramos’ development fits that label perfectly.
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