This San Francisco Giant Is Failing In This One Area Quite Poorly

Swing speed may not be the end all be all to offensive success.

May 10, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos (17) hits a home run off the pitch from Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan (41) in the second inning at Target Field. / Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants have been desperate for offensive production and left fielder Heliot Ramos has answered the call.

After a concerningly slow start, following a tough second half of the 2024 campaign, concern started to rise for the talented outfielder. Through April 25, he had a .222/.280/.370 slash line.

That wasn’t close to the All-Star production he provided after being called up in early May in 2024 when he had a .298/.365/.523 slash line with 14 home runs, 11 doubles and 46 RBI in 263 plate appearances.

Production of that level is what the Giants are going to need if they wanted to keep pace with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres in the National League West race.

Something clicked for Ramos starting on April 26.

He caught fire and has not stopped hitting, heating up along with the weather.

In May, Ramos has been scorching with a .405/.460/.714 slash line, hitting three home runs and four doubles. He has already matched his output from March/April with 11 RBI despite taking a third of the at-bats.

His strikeout rate has decreased with his walk rate increasing in May, more encouraging signs that this level of production is here to stay.

What has made this recent hot streak all the more impressive is that Ramos has seen a concerning decrease in one key area: bat speed.

How Has Heliot Ramos Overcame Drop in Swing Speed?

As shared by Eno Sarris of The Athletic (subscription required), the All-Star has a 1.6 mph drop in swing speed. In 2024 he was top 25 with 75.2 mph. This year he is still well above league average, but has dropped to 73.6.

Ramos has maintained premium bat speed, sitting well above the league average of 71.6 mph and in the 75th percentile of MLB. 

It is interesting that his power stroke hasn’t diminished at all with the drop in speed, with a slight drop in home run rate but increase in his slugging percentage.

A drop has been seen in some of his expected stats shared by Baseball Savant, but he is making up the difference with improvements in other areas of the game.

As long as he continues providing some pop in the lineup, there will be no concerns from San Francisco about the decreased bat speed. 

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