Heliot Ramos had never seen anything like it before.
Even though the 17-year-old first round draft choice of the San Francisco Giants has been on the radar of professional scouts for the better part of his teenage years, Ramos was in awe of what transpired in San Francisco Tuesday afternoon.
The Giants introduced the Puerto Rican outfielder around the clubhouse on Tuesday, and then brought Ramos into the dugout to meet the San Francisco media, where cameras, lights and microphones surrounded the heralded prospect.
“This is new for me,” Ramos said, after answering five minutes of questions about his baseball career and his Major League aspirations.
If all goes according to the Giants’ plan, the bright lights won’t be new for long.
On Tuesday, manager Bruce Bochy gushed about Ramos’ raw talent, and said he’s been impressed by video of the swings he’s watched the Giants’ top pick take and by the range he’s shown in the outfield.
“He’s a strong kid,” Bochy said. “For a young kid, he’s still 17, I believe. But you see how strong he is for his age. He’s got a good swing, a short swing, a powerful swing. He’s a guy that can play anywhere in the outfield, but in center field he profiles very well now. A good runner, good arm and he’s got all of the tools to be a Major League player.”
Ramos said he thinks it will take him two-to-three seasons to reach the Major League level, but he knows the path is far from easy. Ramos’ brother Henry is a member of the Dodgers’ organziation and has yet to reach the big leagues, but Ramos is optimistic he’ll make his way to the show.
The Giants used the 19th overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft to select Ramos, and he said he was surprised San Francisco took him off the board so early. Ramos indicated he thought he would be selected in the 25-to-30 pick range, but he said he’s excited to have the opportunity to play for a franchsie with such a storied history.
“It feels good, it’s a pleasure,” Ramos said. “It’s good, I like it, got a lot of history and legendary players. Barry Bonds, (Orlando) Cepeda, Willie Mays, that is good.”
On draft night, Giants’ scouting director John Barr called Ramos a five-tool prospect, and on Tuesday, Bochy said the organziation believes he can be an impact player a the Major League level.
The Giants know there’s risk in drafting high school talent, especially players as young as Ramos, but San Francisco projects him to be more than just an average professional player.
“Anytime you get a young kid like this, the ceiling is so high on him,” Bochy said. “That excites you too. As long as he makes his progress with the tools that he has, he’s got a chance to be an impact type guy versus an average player. We see him as a guy that can make a huge impact when he gets out here.”
During his visit to the Giants’ clubhouse, Ramos met three other former first round draft picks, as he chatted with Tuesday’s starting pitcher Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and Joe Panik.
Ramos’ trip to AT&T Park was not his first, as he conducted a pre-draft workout with the organization on the field, but Tuesday’s visit did give him a better opportunity to check out the team’s clubhouse and training facilities.
“I saw the lockers and they’ve got a lot of stuff,” Ramos said. “A glove or clothes, the clothes for the games is good, it’s awesome. The weight room is good, I like it.”