The New York Mets contributed to a busy day of international baseball acquisitions.
The Mets brought on a full slate at the start of the international signing period because the majority of contracts had already been signed.
Wandy Asigen has received a lot of attention, which is understandable, but the Mets also paid an additional $1.3725 million for an outfielder who has been likened to Twins great Kirby Puckett.
It’s Cleiner Ramirez, who is anticipated to bulk up his 5-foot-9 body. He has time because he is currently 17 years old.
“Ramirez is one of those players helping the nation’s stock as he displays a balanced skill set with tons of upside, a la fellow countryman Luisangel Acuña,” the scouting report for MLB.com states. “One evaluator compared Ramirez’s build by the time he’s done filling out to something mirroring Kirby Puckett.”
Although he possesses parts of both qualities, Ramirez is now more of a pure hitter than a power hitter.
“At just 5-foot-9, Ramirez uses his shorter stature to his advantage in the box,” according to MLB.com. “His right-handed swing has a lot of bat speed since he can square up a range of pitches and exhibits a consistent bat path. He hit.419 (13-for-31) and amassed 21 total bases in ten games while in the Caracas Prospect League. With 14 walks to just eight strikeouts in the same sample size, he has demonstrated an advanced eye for the dish, but his power is still developing.”
There’s always a chance Ramirez stays on the dirt because he played a lot of infield as a child.
However, this will be a great move by the Mets if he is anything like Puckett, regardless of where he plays.
