San Francisco Giants Take Ramos, Gonzalez on Draft Day One
On the first day of Major League Baseball’s Draft, the San Francisco Giants took outfielder Heliot Ramos in the first round, and third baseman Jacob Gonzalez in the second.
During Monday’s MLB draft, the San Francisco Giants had the 19th pick in the first round. With the selection, they took Heliot Ramos, an outfielder from the Leadership Christian Academy in Puerto Rico. Ramos is listed at 6’1″ and 188 pounds, and hits and throws right-handed. Ramos is the brother of Henry Ramos, an outfielder currently in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ system.
The thing that stands out the most about Ramos is how young he is. Everyone getting drafted is young, but not like Ramos. In 2013, the Giants picked Christian Arroyo with the 25th overall pick. Arroyo turned 18 a week before the draft. Ramos won’t turn 18 until September 7th.
Not only was Ramos one of the youngest available players, he was also one of the most intriguing. Considered an extremely toolsy player, Ramos does just about everything above average. He has great speed, and pairs good range and instincts in the outfield with a strong arm. His best tool might be his power, which goes to all fields. In 2016’s Under Armour All-American Game at Wrigley Field, Ramos went 3-3 with a triple to right field and a home run to left-center field.
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Ramos is considered a project player, which could take up to five or six years. Even if it does take that long to put Ramos completely together, he would still be only 22 or 23 years old. There is plenty of upside with this pick, but it’s also risky.
The Giants have started to make outfielders a priority in recent years after having a run of being unsuccessful in developing outfielders. Last year, they used their first two draft picks on outfielders, taking Vanderbilt product Bryan Reynolds in the second round and Samford’s Heath Quinn in the third round. Both are currently playing in High-A San Jose and doing well.
Reynolds is hitting .309/.346/.426 with nine doubles, five triples, and three home runs, while Quinn owns a .309/.363/.596 slash-line with seven home runs in only 24 games. The team has also switched first baseman Chris Shaw, a 2015 first-round pick, to outfield, and he is now playing with the Triple-A River Cats.
In the second round, the Giants went back to infield by taking third baseman Jacob Gonzalez from Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona. Gonzalez is listed at 6’4″ and 206 pounds, and like Ramos, bats and throws right-handed. He will turn 19 years old on June 26th.
Also like Ramos, Gonzalez has family in the game. His father is Luis Gonzalez, who played 19 years in the Major Leagues and had the game-winning hit in game seven of the 2001 World Series. In addition, Chaparral High has produced some big-time power hitters, including Paul Konerko and Ike Davis.
Gonzalez’s offense is much more advanced than his defense. He hits for power and for average, but his lesser glovework could make first base his eventual destination. As always, time will tell.
The elder Gonzalez has said he expects his son to sign.
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The draft continues on Tuesday, starting with the third round. The Giants’ next pick is number 96 overall.