Neil Ramirez Stats & Scouting Report

IP	179
ERA	4.475
WHIP	1.425
BB/9	4.777
SO/9	10.609

Full name Neil Andrew Ramírez
Born 05/25/1989 in Virginia Beach, VA
Profile Ht.: 6'4" / Wt.: 215 / Bats: R / Throws: R
School Kempsville
Debut 04/25/2014
Drafted in the C-A round (44th overall) by the Texas Rangers in 2007 (signed for $1,000,000).

View Draft Report

Ramirez entered his senior season ranked among the top prep pitchers in the country, but an up-and-down spring has depressed his draft stock. Last summer he ranked as the top prospect in the Cal Ripken Senior League, despite pitching against players that were as many as three years older. Most of his inconsistency this spring stemmed from mechanical flaws, though he also missed a week with a back injury. He has a drop-and-drive delivery and tends to rush to the plate, leaving his arm behind and causing his stuff to flatten out. His velocity has been anywhere from 88-96 mph. He'll flash an above-average curveball at 78 mph, but it gets loose and loopy at 71 mph as well. He has some feel for a changeup. He'll occasionally pitch to both sides of the plate with his fastball, while at other times work deep in counts. He could go as high as the supplemental round to a team that has seen him at his best and believes it can iron out the kinks.

Top Rankings

Organization Prospect Rankings

Ramirez has made halting progress after signing for $1 million as the 2007 draft's 44th pick. He took two cracks at low Class A before rocketing up the minor league ladder and this list (all the way to No. 5) following a 2011 season that he finished in the Round Rock rotation. His success vanished as quickly as it had arrived during a rocky 2012 campaign, during which he dealt with shoulder fatigue and earned a late-June demotion to Double-A. He made his final appearance of the season out of the bullpen and showed a consistent 95-97 mph fastball after settling in at 90-94 as a starter. The Rangers believe relieving better suits his personality because Ramirez tends to overthink things as a starter. He has cleaned up his arm circle in recent years, reducing the severity of a high-elbow backswing, but an inconsistent release point still affects the quality of his secondary pitches when he doesn't stay on top of them. He sells a high-80s changeup with natural deception, and it's a plus pitch at times. He started throwing a slider in 2012, and it flashes promising tilt. He hangs his curveball too much for it to be viable at higher levels. If he stays in the bullpen, Ramirez could vie with fellow 40-man roster members Wilmer Font and Roman Mendez for relief innings in Arlington this year.
Ramirez's stock dropped slightly after an up-and-down senior high school season in 2007, but he still went 44th overall in the draft and received a $1 million bonus. Inconsistency plagued him early in his pro career too, as he spent his first two full seasons at low Class A Hickory. After spending last offseason working out at the team's training facility, he spent most of a breakout 2011 season in Triple-A. Ramirez's fastball sits at 92- 94 mph and touches 96 with good angle, while his swing-and-miss curveball ranges from 74-78 mph. Scouts previously projected Ramirez as a back-end reliever, but the development of his changeup last year gives him No. 2 starter upside. His mid-80s changeup now gives him a potential third plus pitch. Drafted with a raw drop-and-drive delivery and a short arm circle, Ramirez now has a tall-and-fall approach and has lengthened his arm action, resulting a more consistent release point. His control and command still need improvement, however. There are some concerns about his high back elbow, but his prototypical frame and delivery lend themselves to durability. The Rangers say he's the system's hardest worker. Protected on the 40- man roster in November, Ramirez should be at least a mid-rotation innings eater. He'll likely open 2012 back at Round Rock but has the potential to contribute in the majors immediately, especially if Texas wants to use him in a late-inning relief role.
Since signing for $1 million as a sandwich pick in 2007, Ramirez has developed slowly over his first three pro seasons, but things started to click for him in 2010. A short-armer when he entered the system, he worked very hard to lengthen his arm action. That allowed him to be more consistent last year, though his timing was still off at times. He also showed more dedication to improving his conditioning, which also helped. Ramirez's fastball sits around 92-94 mph and touches 95. His overhand curveball once rated among the best in the system, but he lost some of his confidence in the pitch in 2009, partly because he was constantly falling behind in counts and was unable to use it as a chase pitch. He did a better job getting ahead of hitters last year, and his curveball benefited. At its best, it's a plus power pitch with tight 1-to-7 break, generating plenty of swings and misses. He also flashes an average changeup that he's learning to use more effectively. Long and athletic, Ramirez still has a chance to be a starter in the big leagues if he can continue to improve his command and repeat his delivery. The Rangers stress that he would have just finished his junior year at Georgia Tech if he'd gone to college, and they emphasize patience. He'll advance to high Class A in 2011 and Texas would like him to reach Double-A quickly to help replenish the upper levels of the system, which were depleted in trades last year.
The Rangers knew Ramirez would a long-term project when they signed him for $1 million as a sandwich pick in 2007, and they continue to stress patience as he slowly develops. He made his full-season debut at Hickory last June, getting his feet wet with four relief outings before sliding into a starting role. He settled in as the season progressed, peaking in August, when he posted a 2.86 ERA and a 28-13 K-BB ratio in 22 innings. Ramirez has a lightning-quick arm and the makings of an overpowering repertoire. He works at 92-96 mph with his fastball, and his overhand power curveball can be a swing-and-miss pitch at times. He's also making progress with his changeup, though it still has a long way to go. Ramirez did a much better job harnessing his emotions in 2009. But he still struggles from serious lapses in his command, often because he has trouble repeating his delivery and staying in rhythm. He tends to throw across his body and often fights to throw the ball to his glove side. Ramirez flashes frontline-starter stuff, but he's far from a safe bet to reach the majors. The Rangers might send him back to Hickory to work with pitching coach Brad Holman, who has earned praise for his patient approach with young pitchers like Martin Perez, Joe Wieland, Wilmer Font and Jake Brigham.
Ramirez accepted a $1 million bonus as a supplemental first-round pick right at the signing deadline in 2007, too late to make his pro debut. The Rangers wanted to challenge him in 2008, so they skipped him over the Rookie-level Arizona League and sent him to Spokane, where he was the Opening Day starter. Though his strict pitch count limited him to fewer than five innings in 11 of his 13 starts, Ramirez mostly overpowered older hitters and ranked as the Northwest League's No. 4 prospect. He has an ultra-projectable frame and an electric arm. He pitches at 91-94 mph and touches 96, and his fastball plays up further because it jumps on hitters. He's capable of buckling hitters' knees with a hard, late-breaking downer curveball that projects as an above-average or better pitch, but it remains inconsistent. While his changeup is improving, he still has limited feel for it. Ramirez sometimes has trouble getting his delivery in sync, as his arm gets deep behind him and he throws across his body. His difficulty repeating his motion negatively affects his fastball command, and he tends to run up high pitch counts. He missed the chance to work on his shortcomings in instructional league because he broke a bone in his hand when he slammed it in a car door. Ramirez has one of the highest ceilings in the system. If everything comes together for him, he could become a true ace with a pair of plus-plus pitches. But concerns over his delivery and command make him far from a safe bet to reach his upside. He'll start 2009 in low Class A.
In the summer of 2006, Ramirez held his own against players up to three years older than him in the Cal Ripken Sr. League, a summer college wood-bat league where he ranked as the No. 1 prospect. An up-anddown senior season caused him to slip to the Rangers at No. 44 overall in the draft, and he passed up a scholarship at Georgia Tech to sign for a $1 million bonus right before the Aug. 15 signing deadline. He was still working his way into game shape in instructional league, but he flashed the electric stuff that has garnered comparisons to John Smoltz and A.J. Burnett. Ramirez oozes projection, but he already pitches at 92-94 mph with his high-riding four-seam fastball, which he ran up to 96 in instructs. His short, tight, low-to-mid-80s power curveball projects as a potential plus-plus offering, but he's still learning to command it consistently. Ramirez is just starting to develop his changeup, and he still struggles to repeat his delivery, often opening his front side and changing his release point, causing the ball to go all over the place. He's got plenty of time to smooth all of that out, and if it comes together for him, he could be a bona fide top-of-the-rotation starter. He figures to open 2008 in extended spring training before heading to the Arizona League.

Minor League Top Prospects

As with Perez, the Rangers challenged Ramirez by sending him to the NWL to make his pro debut as a teenager. He had little trouble overpowering older hitters, holding them to a .166 average while striking out 52 in 44 innings. Ramirez attacks hitters with a 90-94 mph fastball that touches 96 and has decent life to the arm side. He has shown the ability to change speeds with his fastball, keeping hitters off balance. They can't gear up for it because his curveball is a hard, late-breaking hammer, a true plus pitch. At 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, Ramirez also has projection remaining. He's working on a changeup that showed improvement throughout the summer. He has to improve his command and control, but his pure stuff is exciting.

Best Tools List

Rated Best Curveball in the Texas Rangers in 2008

Scouting Reports

Background: Inconsistency dogged Ramirez in high school, when he fell to the 44th overall pick in the 2007 draft and signed for $1 million. He had a breakout 2011 season after spending last offseason working out at the team's training facility.Scouting Report: Ramirez's fastball sits at 92-94 mph and touches 96 with good angle, while his swing-and-miss curveball ranges from 74-78 mph. Scouts previously projected Ramirez as a high-leverage reliever, but the development of his changeup last year gives him No. 2 starter upside. His mid-80s changeup now gives him a potential third plus pitch. The Rangers overhauled his high school delivery, and his new tall-and-fall approach helped lengthen his arm action, yielding in a more consistent release point. Ramirez's control and command still need improvement, however. His prototypical frame and delivery lend themselves to durability. The Future: Protected on the 40-man roster in November, Ramirez should be at least a mid-rotation innings eater. He has the potential to contribute in the majors immediately, especially if Texas wants to use him in a relief role.