Tim Rogers
One prospect that broke out in 2021 for the Dodgers was outfielder Jose Ramos. The Panamanian native and New Year’s Baby was originally signed by the Dodgers in July of 2018. Ramos did not make his professional debut until May 2019 with the Dominican Summer League (DSL) Dodgers Bautista team. Let’s take a look at Ramos and what might be his future with the Dodgers.
Pre-2021
Before 2021 the only evidence I saw of Jose Ramos being on anyone’s radar was that Fangraphs ranked him at number 39. They said his main tool was defense. Based on his 2019 season in the DSL the offense was not showing yet. He slashed .275/.362/.377 (AVG/OBP/SLG) in 2019 with two home runs in 207 at-bats.
During the 2020 season, the minor leaguers did not play due to the C-19 pandemic. This kept players like Ramos out of game action for all season.
2021 Season
In 2021 Ramos found himself making his United States debut in the Arizona League (AZL) as he was assigned to the rookie-level team in late June. Ramos preceded to slash .383/.456/.633 with three home runs in only 60 at-bats. This earned him a promotion to the Quakes at Low-A ball in late July. He did not waste any time as he landed on the Baseball America 20 Hottest Prospects for the week of 8/3/21. For that week he slashed .542/.621/.833 with five doubles and 5 RBI. Here’s what Baseball America had to say about him:
Ramos torched extended spring training, torched the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and is now torching the Low-A West to continue his breakout season. The Panama native has multiple hits in eight of nine games since being promoted to Rancho Cucamonga, with seven doubles, a triple and two home runs already. With a natural feel to hit, growing power, the athleticism to play both right and center field and a plus-plus cannon for an arm, Ramos is one of the fastest-rising prospects in a loaded Dodgers’ system. – Kyle Glaser
And, what do you know, Ramos landed on the same list for the week of 9/14/21 with a slash of .407/.484/.889 with three home runs and ten RBI in 27 at-bats.
Ramos continued his breakout season with another loud series for Rancho Cucamonga, recording a hit in all six games against Inland Empire and an extra-base hit in all but one game. Ramos is now batting .314/.381/.573 with the Quakes since being promoted from the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League. Combined with his impressive athletic ability in the outfield and cannon for an arm, he is solidifying his place as one of the Dodgers’ most exciting young prospects. – Kyle Glaser
2021 Accolades
To wrap up Jose Ramos’s 2021 season he finished with a slash of .313/.377/.559 with eight home runs and 44 RBI in just 195 at-bats for the Quakes. Overall, he slashed .329/.396/.576 with two teams for the season and it put him in the prospect spotlight.
As of this writing, Ramos was ranked as the number 16 prospect by MLB Pipeline for the Dodgers.
Five-foot-11 and 150 pounds when he turned pro, Ramos now checks in at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds and resembles Dodgers prospect Andy Pages both physically and in terms of tools. He features well above-average raw pop from the right side of the plate and hit a couple of tape-measure blasts in the ACL before departing. He manages the strike zone and offspeed pitches reasonably well for a young slugger and has a chance to hit for average as well as power.
Ramos has lost some speed as he has matured physically but he’s still at least an average runner, and his instincts give him the possibility of staying in center field. – MLB Pipeline
Baseball America had him as the number 29 prospect for the Dodgers from their last top 30 list in July.
Ramos stood out quickly in extended spring training for his power and ability to crush a fastball. He still has trouble recognizing and adjusting to spin, but his power and solid athleticism bode well for his future. – Baseball America, July 2021
Final Thoughts
To see a prospect like Jose Ramos make such great strides is exciting for Dodger fans. He definitely can play right field and could also end up in center. There is no doubt that Ramos will start in at least High-A in 2022 and it will be interesting to see his progress. during the season. He doesn’t turn 21 until New Years Day so he is still very young. The Dodgers continue to develop talent at all levels of the organization. This helps build some new depth as the Dodgers have traded some highly-rated prospects over the last two years. It’s looking like the next group of prospects could be exciting.
