Mets' Top Prospect To Begin Season In Double-A, Hoping For Bounce-Back Campaign
Once upon a time, this New York Mets' top prospect was turning heads, which led several teams to inquire about him at the 2022 trade deadline.
This prospect was young outfielder Alex Ramirez, who at the time, was a top five prospect in the Mets' farm system.
Despite only playing at the Single-A level, Ramirez's name was popular in trade talks two years ago. And the Mets, who were engaged with several clubs in an attempt to improve their eventual 101-win squad, found themselves in trade conversations with the Boston Red Sox.
It was there that the Red Sox asked for Ramirez, Dom Smith and cash considerations in exchange for a struggling J.D. Martinez, who was a rental player and dealing with back spasms. The Mets, wisely, said no, and now their player development department will be tasked with getting Ramirez back on track after a rough season in 2023.
According to Tim Healey of Newsday, Ramirez will begin the 2024 season in Double-A, despite struggling in High-A ball last year, where he hit just .221/.310/.317 with a .627 OPS, seven home runs and 53 RBIs in 120 games.
As Healey also reported, the Mets still believe in Ramirez, and see him as the player, who posted a .281/.346/.436 slash line and .782 OPS with 11 home runs and 71 RBIs across 121 games in 2022 between low-A and high-A ball. Ramirez, a 6"3 center fielder, is also just 21-years-old, so his ceiling has likely yet to be reached.
Ramirez's tough campaign pushed him down from a top five prospect in the Mets' system to No. 16. But that is also due to the number of trades the Mets pulled off last summer to bring in a slew of top prospects and replenish their farm.
While last year was a down showing for Ramirez, the Mets are still high on him, and think they can develop the youngster into a potential star down the road. And due to their organizational outfield depth, they can afford to let Ramirez take his time in the minor leagues.
