Ramirez landed the largest bonus given to a Dominican catcher in the 2018-19 international class, signing for $400,000 with the Yankees. His career started slowly as he spent three years in Rookie ball and lost 2020 to the pandemic, but he broke out with 18 homers while advancing from Single-A to Double-A in 2023. He recorded a rare 20-20 season for a catcher last year with 25 homers and 22 steals between Double-A and Triple-A and went to the Marlins in July as the main prospect in the Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade.
Ramirez has a compact right-handed swing with bat speed and strength, which allows him to make a lot of hard contact. Though his solid power plays from foul pole to foul pole, he has a pull-heavy approach that can result in too many rolled-over groundballs at times. He has a tendency to chase pitches out of the strike zone, yet he still puts the ball in play and draws a healthy amount of walks.
Still very much a work in progress behind the plate, Ramirez committed 10 errors and 11 passed balls while allowing 110 steals in 122 attempts (90 percent) in 72 starts at catcher in 2024. His receiving, framing and blocking are all below average, and his solid arm strength is mitigated by a slow release. He's a well-below-average runner with surprising basestealing savvy, though he probably won't be nearly as prolific a thief in the big leagues.
Ramirez garnered the highest bonus paid to a Dominican catcher in the 2018-19 international class, signing with the Yankees for $400,000. He spent three years in Rookie ball and lost 2020 to the pandemic shutdown, so he didn't arrive in full-season ball until 2023, when he slammed 18 homers while rising from Single-A to Double-A and claimed a spot on New York's 40-man roster. He mashed 20 homers in 87 games at the upper levels of the Minors this year before the Yankees shipped him to the Marlins as the headline prospect in a July trade for Jazz Chisholm Jr.
With his short right-handed stroke, bat speed and strength, Ramirez makes consistent contact and produces impressive exit velocities. He showed more discipline and did a better job of using the entire field in 2023, fueling optimism that he'll be able to tap into most of his plus raw power. He has struggled in his initial taste of Triple-A this summer, chasing too many pitches and producing a lot of rolled-over grounders to his pull side.
Ramirez stands out much more for his offensive upside than his defensive prowess. He lacks agility and soft hands, so his receiving, framing and blocking all need plenty of work. He has solid arm strength but a slow release that led to 104 steals in 132 attempts (79 percent) in 80 games last year, and some scouts believe he'll wind up at first base.
Ramirez turned pro for $400,000, landing the highest bonus given to a Dominican catcher in the 2018-19 international period. He lost 2020 to the pandemic and spent three years in Rookie ball, so he didn't make his full-season debut until 2023. He has emerged as one of the most promising young power hitters in the system and earned a promotion to High-A after three months.
Ramirez uses his strength and a compact right-handed swing to hammer balls with impressive exit velocities. He has been more patient and less pull-conscious in 2023, understanding that he can hit home runs without selling out for power. He's still more slugger than hitter, though that's fine for a catcher with 25-homer upside.
Whether Ramirez can remain at catcher is another question. He lacks quickness and soft hands, so his receiving, framing and blocking skills are very much works in progress. He does have solid arm strength and keeps the running game in check but some scouts believe he's destined for first base.
These run values are leveraged, meaning the base/out situation at the time of the event does impact the run value (thus introducing context outside the batter's own contribution).
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's home runs would have been out of other stadiums. The "Adjusted" view here accounts for different wall heights, distances and environmental effects using Statcast Park Factor data.
Standard
Year
HR
2025
4
4
3
2
2
3
4
2
2
2
3
2
4
3
4
3
3
2
4
3
4
4
4
3
3
4
2
2
4
4
4
Player
4
4
3
2
2
3
4
2
2
2
3
2
4
3
4
3
3
2
4
3
4
4
4
3
3
4
2
2
4
4
4
Note: xHR tells how many of this player's home runs would have been out of other stadiums. The "Standard" view here accounts for different wall heights and distances but excludes environmental effects. It is based purely on the observed trajectory of the hit.
! Note: Shifts are through the 2022 season, Shaded starting from the 2023 season, Shift: three or more infielders are on the same side of second base, Shade: positioned outside of their typical responsible slices of the field. Learn more about how positioning is defined here
