Video Posted from JP's Gallery on Takkle.com
Jonathan Paul Ramirez was taken by the Washington Nationals in the 16th round of the 2008 MLB draft. Already committed to Tulane University, many believed that drafting Ramirez was a waste, and signing him was unlikely for any club. However in late August when the Nats failed to sign first round pick Aaron Crow, they immediately turned to Ramirez offering him a one million dollar contract with the left-over money.
JP Ramirez, 18, was a standout at Canyon High School in New Braunfels Texas. Playing both outfield and first base, Ramirez lead his team his senior year batting .530 with 26 extra base hits. In his time at Canyon, Ramirez earned all-state honors three times and drew comparisons to fellow Canyon Alumni, Lance Berkman.
Outside of his high school performance there isn't a lot known about Ramirez. He signed with the Nationals just in time to get only 11 AB's in the Gulf Coast League. He excelled in the small sample size, going 4/11 with 8 RBI's and 4 walks.
Scouts describe Ramirez as, "A pure hitter with a quiet, quick and precise left handed stroke. Has shown ability to hit consistently, and has had little trouble handling quality stuff. All signs point to continued offensive production. He Also runs very well, and has shown arm strength."
At 5 foot 10 and only 185 pounds, Ramirez doesn't have very much size. He projects to be a slap hitting center fielder without incredible stolen base speed. It's rather odd for a 16th round pick to be placed on the list of top 10 prospects for a team before he has more than 15 at bats at any professional level. This could either be an indictment on the Nationals farm system, or Baseball America's true belief that Ramirez is a diamond in the rough. While BA didn't place Ramirez in the Nats 2012 line up, they did say he was the programs best hitter for average.
5 comments:
Is there really not more on this guy?
This is all I could find, he was a 15th round draft pick after all...I'm not sure why baseball america is so high on him
Played against him in high school in Texas. Dude's the real deal. Baseball America and the Nats are high on this kid because he's potentially the best left handed hitter ever to come out of Texas; his raw power is unbelievable. Also, there's plenty more about this kid, just do your research. He played (and excelled) on the junior national Team USA squad in the summer of 07, which was comprised primarily of top-10 round draft picks. The fact that JP wasn't taken in the top 5 rounds was a huge surprise to anyone who ever saw him play in high school. Look for him the bigs.
I totally agree with the guy above me. I Played with him one season in select and against him two years in High School and I can tell you from experience he's no slap hitter. He has the quickest hands I've ever seen and I've seen him take mid nineties fastballs over 400 feet easily. Look for him in the bigs. Dudes got skills.
Coached this kid in summer select ball. He is no slap hitter! He has some of the quickest, silent and sweet hands I have ever seen. Just follow him for the next year. Great speed, great bat, and better work ethic and composure. He reminds me most of Carlos Beltran.
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