Blue Jays: Harold Ramirez could force his way into outfield conversation

Toronto Blue Jays outfield prospect Harold Ramirez could force his way into the conversation next season after a successful 2018 campaign with the Fisher Cats.

Harold Ramirez was once a highly touted prospect ranked 95th by Baseball America prior to the 2016 season. However, since the Jays acquired Ramirez from the Pittsburgh Pirates the young outfielder has failed to live up to the hype. That is until now.

The 24-year old Ramirez shined bright on a team full of stars in his second full season with the Double-A affiliate in New Hampshire. Ramirez hit .320/.365/.471 with a career-high 11 home runs and 16 stolen bases in 18 attempts in 120 games for the Cats. His performance with the stick also earned him the Eastern League Batting title.

The native of Venezuela was a model of consistency in 2018 notching at least one hit in 90 of the 120 games he played. Ramirez also had 13 games with three or more hits during that stretch. In 2018, he hit .330 versus righties and .291 against southpaws, with all but one of his homers coming off right-handed pitching. The young, athletic outfielder possesses a nice blend of both speed and power.

More from Toronto Blue Jays News

• Blue Jays: Alek Manoah on pace to succeed in possible postseason
• Blue Jays: Bradley Zimmer has carved himself a valuable role
• Anthony Bass has been the shutdown reliever the Blue Jays needed
• Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. open to a long-term contract
• Blue Jays: Snapping cold streaks at the right time

On defence, Ramirez played predominantly right-field in 2018 accumulating a .978 fielding percentage with three assists and three errors in 138 chances. Ramirez also saw action in 41 games as the designated hitter.

Ramirez was also an integral piece of the Fisher Cats Championship title taking home the MVP award after swatting eight hits and scoring eight runs in six postseason games. Not bad for a kid who was removed from the 40-man roster after clearing waivers in 2017 in preparation for the Rule-5 Draft.

The outfielder will likely begin the 2019 season in Triple-A with the Buffalo Bisons however he could force his way into the Blue Jays outfield with a hot start out of the gate. Ramirez has definitely reasserted himself as a legit talent and should find himself back on the team’s organizational top prospect rankings.