New York Yankees 2023 Top 30 Prospect Wraps: Agustin Ramirez
InsideThePinstripes.com will review each of the New York Yankees’ Top 30 prospects, as ranked by MLB.com at the end of the 2023 season.
No. 24: C Agustin Ramirez, Somerset Patriots (Double-A), Hudson Valley Renegades (High-A), Tampa Tarpons (Class-A)
Statistics for 2023: (114 games) .271/.364/.455/.819 with 24 doubles, 18 home runs, 69 RBI, 85 strikeouts and 61 walks. Scored 73 runs, stole 12 bases.
With Tampa (56 games) .245/.384/.397/.781 with seven doubles, seven home runs, 35 RBI, 41 strikeouts and 43 walks. Scored 35 runs, stole seven bases.
With Hudson Valley (27 games) .384/.430/.714/1.144 with 10 doubles, nine home runs, 23 RBI, 17 strikeouts and eight walks. Scored 21 runs, stole two bases.
With Somerset (31 games) .211/.273/.313/.586 with seven doubles, two home runs, 11 RBI, 27 strikeouts and 10 walks. Scored 17 runs, stole three bases.
Season Transactions: He was assigned to Tampa to start the season, promoted to High-A Hudson Valley on June 29 and promoted to Double-A Somerset on Aug. 8
Season Summary: This was a season of progress for the 22-year-old prospect, who put up career highs across the board offensively, especially in power categories. He also had nearly as many walks as strikeouts. He played his best baseball with Hudson Valley after his promotion from Class A Tampa, but his production took a significant drop off when he arrived at Somerset in August. The Yankees had a couple of catchers accelerate through the system, including Austin Wells, and that helped pave the way for Ramirez to make it all the way to Double-A. He's not ready for the big leagues yet but he made a lot of progress toward making an appearance in the near future.
Road Through the Organization: The Yankees thought enough of Ramirez to give him a $400,000 signing bonus out of the Dominican Republic during the 2018-19 international signing cycle. But the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown of minor league baseball hurt his development, so much so that he spent three seasons in rookie ball. He didn’t get into a full-season affiliate until this season, and he moved from Class-A to Double-A by season’s end, no doubt helped by the promotions of Austin Wells, the Yankees’ top-ranked catching prospect who finished the season in the Bronx.
What’s next: With Wells now in New York and a logjam of catchers under contract, the Yankees might explore a position change for a player that, according to MLB.com, has power that can create 25 home runs per season. His tools might work well at first base. For next season, he could challenge for a spot at Triple-A, but that would certainly be a rapid ascent for a player in his second full minor-league season. It seems likely he starts his 2024 season at Somerset.
2023 New York Yankees Top 30 Prospect Wraps:
No. 30 Elijah Dunham | No. 29 Danny Watson | No. 28 Edgar Barclay | No. 27 Justin Lange | No. 26 Yoendrys Gomez | No. 25 Matt Sauer |
