The San Francisco Giants don’t have a clear answer for who will represent the team at the 2024 All-Star game.
As MLB’s David Adler looked for the league’s top All-Star candidates that aren’t getting enough hype, he highlighted San Francisco outfielder Heliot Ramos.
Ramos has been a great story story this season and that would only be amplified by making his first All-Star game.
The Puerto Rico native was the No. 19 overall selection of the 2017 MLB draft. He’s been solid in the minors since he first joined the Giants farm system, the problem was always his MLB production.
He made his debut in 2022 where he had a slashing line of .100/.182/.282 across nine games. He was just 22 years old, though, so it wasn’t like anyone had started to panic.
He started the 2023 season back in Triple-A, but eventually worked his way back to the majors for a second stint. In 25 games, he slashed just .179/.233/.304.
Once again, he started 2024 in Triple-A. He got another chance when Jorge Soler went down with an injury.
The 24-year-old started out hot, but people questioned if it was finally for real. He’s been performing at a consistently high level for over the past month and people are starting to notice.
Through 35 games this season, he’s slashing a fantastic .326/.404/.561. The past two weeks have been even better, putting up a .396/.483/.771 line with five home runs in that short amount of time.
He leads all San Francisco batters with a .965 OPS this season and tied for the lead with eight home runs despite playing over 20 less games than a good chunk of the lineup.
Along with being very good at the plate, Ramos has been a great defender as well. He has three outs above average across all three outfield positions.
A late start could prove to make it hard for him to make an All-Star team this year, but from a pure talent stand point he has earned it.
There aren’t many players that have been as good as he’s been since being called up. He’s currently tied with San Diego Padres’ Jurickson Profar for the second-most WAR among National League outfielders.
Not only has the right-handed batter been a bright spot this year, he looks to be the real deal as the front office plans for the future.