The Blue Jays sign former Rays prospect, Abiezel Ramirez
1 year ago
At the end of April 2023, the Blue Jays signed an intriguing prospect to a minor league deal.
According to the transaction site, the Blue Jays signed 23-year-old shortstop Abiezel Ramirez. Ramirez signed with the Tampa Bay Rays during the 2016 international free agency period, and played with the team until he was released on March 31st, 2023.
In his professional career, he has slashed .248/.342/.381 with 21 homers in 1262 plate appearances. He also has a solid 25.3 K% and an 11.6 BB%.
His best season to date was in 2021, playing for Tampa’s Single-A team in Charleston. At the time, the 21-year-old slashed .260/.348/.446 with a career high nine homers in 272 plate appearances. However, it appeared that he expanded his strike zone, as he had a career-high 37.5 K%, along with an 11.8 BB%.
In 2022, he spent parts of the season in Single-A, where he slashed .230/.337/.419 with three homers in 86 plate appearances, before moving to High-A. With Tampa’s High-A team, he slashed .182/.289/.303 with three homers in 190 plate appearances, along with a 12.1 BB% and a 28.4 K%. Ramirez also had two plate appearances in Double-A in the middle of June, before a demotion back to Single-A.
At one point in his career, Ramirez was a top prospect in a loaded Rays system, as he ranked as their 22nd best prospect in 2020, as well as their 39th best prospect in 2021.
The two scouting reports are rather similar. His swing has issues due to the length and his tendency to chase. He does have plus bat speed, which can produce “whizzing line drives from the left side of the plate”. Fangraphs’ scouting report also goes on to note that he has the arm strength to stay to the left side of the infield, and could potentially stick at shortstop.
Here are his grades dating back to 2021. Keep in mind, that he likely improved a bit as these were his grades two seasons ago. However, it’s also worth noting that the future value likely has dropped, as he had a rough 2022 season.
| Tool | Present Value (2021) | Future Value |
| Hit | 35 | 50 |
| Raw Power | 50 | 55 |
| Game Power | 30 | 45 |
| Fielding | 40 | 50 |
| Throw | 60 | 60 |
Per the transaction site, he was assigned to the Florida Complex League Blue Jays, a common occurrence for new prospects in the system. Last season, Alex De Jesus also got some reps with the FCL team, before eventually joining the High-A Vancouver Canadians.
If I had to guess, I would assume that Ramirez will start in High-A, as he only had 190 plate appearances there last season. He’d be slightly above the average age for the level, but it would be a good test to see where he is. If he impresses, he could get the call up to Double-A towards the end of the season.
Ramirez may not be a Top 30 prospect any longer, but he is an interesting lottery prospect who could potentially pan out with a new team.
As always, you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Brennan_L_D.
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