Alex Ramirez Has Raw Tools Few Can Match

Alex Ramirez caught the attention of Mets scouts early on because of his athleticism, but his “weak” bat was a concern, even as he peppered line drives to the opposite field.

With Ramirez’s increase in power in 2019 came a call to Chris Becerra, then the Mets’ director of international scouting, requesting his presence in the Dominican Republic to watch the 16-year-old outfielder.

“Ramirez ran a 6.34 (seconds in a 60-yard dash) on a very short track, but he ran it like a gazelle and showed every bit of a (double-plus) arm in the outfield,” Mets vice president of amateur and international scouting Tommy Tanous said.

“Batting practice was a ton of line drives, and he started hitting balls out to the opposite field in live batting practice.”

Tanous was alerted, and after receiving his own look decided Ramirez should be offered a contract. Ramirez received a $2.05 million signing bonus, the third-highest among international players in franchise history, trailing only Francisco Alvarez and Ronny Mauricio.

Many of the Mets’ most notable international signings in recent years have been shortstops, including Amed Rosario, Andres Gimenez and Mauricio. In Ramirez and Freddy Valdez the organization has two highly-regarded outfielders from the Dominican Republic.

“(Ramirez) has a good body that will get stronger,” a former Mets talent evaluator said. “He needs games to develop those tools.”

Ramirez, a righthanded hitter who stands 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, was considered a center field prospect upon his signing, but he also saw action in right field during the Mets’ instructional league.   

“It’s a super athletic, twitchy body,” Tanous said. “He’s built like a greyhound and whips the bat through the strike zone and has a nice combination of speed and power.”

Tanous is also confident Ramirez has the right mindset to succeed.

“Single mom—and she’s tough on him,” Tanous said. “No baloney.”