S.F. selects 17-yearold outfielder at No. 19.
“You just don’t get a chance to get a player of his athleticism and how young he was . ... We do think he is a five-tool player, and we think he can stay in center field.” John Barr, Giants scouting director, on first-round pick Heliot Ramos
Decades have passed since anyone legitimately could utter the phrases “Giants outfielder” and “five-tool player” in the same sentence. With their first pick of the 2017 amateur draft Monday, the Giants chose a teenager they hope will change that.
Looking more long term, the Giants selected 17-year-old high school center fielder Heliot Ramos from Leadership Christian Academy in Puerto Rico, a player whose power potential and speed made him the top prospect on the Giants’ board.
Legend holds that Ramos, a right-handed hitter, blasted a 500-foot homer in Puerto Rico using a composite bat. Giants fans can dream. “You just don’t get a chance to get a player of his athleticism and how young he was,” scouting director John Barr said moments after selecting Ramos with the 19th overall pick. “We do think he is a five-tool player, and we think he can stay in center field.”
The Giants went with power potential with their second pick too, 58th overall, selecting an Arizona high schooler with true baseball bloodlines. Jacob Gonzalez, a third baseman, is the son of former Houston and Arizona outfielder Luis Gonzalez. The elder Gonzalez hit 354 big-league homers in a 19-year major-league career.
High school players carry risk and questions, more so when a team is drafting potential power. Can they hit with a wooden bat? Will their swings play professionally against the type of pitching they did not come close to seeing in high school?
The Giants have shied away from high school outfielders. The last one they took with their first pick was Adam Hyzdu in 1990. Hyzdu did not reach the majors for 10 years and retired after 221 big-league games, none with the Giants.
Still, Barr and other Giants evaluators liked what they saw from Ramos in various settings, including the Under Armour Games for high school players in Chicago last summer, when he singled, tripled and homered into the basket in left-center at Wrigley Field.
They also watched the 6foot-1, 188-pounder take batting practice with a wooden bat and like his genes. His older brother Henry is a catcher in the Dodgers organization. Another brother plays for the Puerto Rican national soccer team.
“When we saw him run, he was a 6.5 60(-yard dash) guy,” Barr said. “He also showed power even with the wooden bat. His speed and power combination made him stand out.”
Ramos has committed to play at Florida International University but is expected to sign with the Giants. The recommended bonus value at No. 19 is $3 million.
Baseball America, the principal publication that evaluates draft prospects, called Ramos a “divisive prospect” because he lacks a track record against high-level competition, but he has tantalizing natural ability.
“He has a plus arm from the outfield and has the potential to stay in center field,” the publication wrote. “He has very loose hands and a knack for making hard contact, but he will expand the strike zone and take off-balance swings. So, while he has the plus bat speed and loose wrists to develop into a good hitter, his offensive approach will require refinement in the minor leagues.”
The Giants also drafted an outfielder with their first pick (in the second round) last year, Vanderbilt’s Bryan Reynolds, who is hitting .300 for Class A San Jose in 2017. Barr called that coincidence more than strategy, not a reflection of the Giants’ historic lack of homegrown outfield successes.
This also marks Barr’s 10th draft since the Giants hired him. His first selection was Buster Posey at No. 5 overall in 2008. Because of how bad the Giants are this year, they could pick even higher than fifth in 2018.