2 months ago

Miami Marlins catcher Agustin Ramirez was one of the hottest hitting prospects in baseball over the first few months of the season, mashing home runs in what felt like every other game. The trade deadline rolled around, and we saw Ramirez be moved to Miami as part of the Jazz Chisholm trade. Ramirez settled in nicely to his new Triple-A home in Jacksonville over the final month of the year. Overall for the year, Ramirez mashed 25 home runs and had 53 extra-base hits while posting a strong .267/.358/.487 slash line. He struck out in just 18 percent of his plate appearances and posted respectable contact rates of around 75 percent overall and 84 percent in-zone. Ramirez walked at a rate north of 11 percent, chasing just 26 percent of pitches out of the zone. The power is legitimate, and the exit velocity data backs it. Ramirez posted a 90th percentile exit velocity near 107 mph and hit some impressive home runs. The biggest issue is the swing can get a bit flat at times, leading to far too many ground balls. The air percentage was just 52.5 percent this year, but it went a long way when Ramirez lifted the ball to the pull-side. Around 44 percent of his pulled batted balls were in the air. The Marlins lack any catching depth on their roster, with Nick Fortes slated to be the starter and Rule 5 selection Liam Hicks on the bench. Hicks won't stick, and Ramirez will be the starting catcher early in the season, making him worth a late-round flier in deep-league two-catcher formats.--Chris Clegg - RotoBaller