Cleveland Indians 2016 Top Prospects: #21 James Ramsey

Cleveland Indians 2016 Top Prospects: #21 Ramsey

At times he may appear to be the forgotten outfield prospect, outfielder James Ramsey still comes in at number 21 on our Cleveland Indians 2016 Top Prospect countdown.

Who is Ramsey?

Ramsey was a first-round pick (23^rd overall) by the St. Louis Cardinals back in 2012 (the same draft the Indians took Tyler Naquin a few picks prior).  The former Florida State Seminole joined the Indians back in July 2014 when he was acquired in the Justin Masterson trade.  The left-handed hitting outfielder stands 6’0” and weighs approximately 200 pounds.  He has spent all of his Tribe career in Triple-A with the Columbus Clippers and was added to the 40-man roster this past Fall as he was Rule 5 Draft eligible. 

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Strengths and Weaknesses

One thing was clear from the moment Ramsey was drafted, he was viewed as a truly “advanced college bat.”  He skipped rookie ball and the Class-A level, jumping right to the Advanced-A level as soon as he signed in 2012. He did struggle there with only a .647 OPS (on-base plus slugging); however, he showed off his advanced plate discipline with a 13.4% walk rate and .333 OBP. He rebounded nicely in 2013 spending most of the season in Double-A where he hit .251/.356/.425 and even made a one-game appearance in Triple-A (quite the feat for his first full season in professional ball).

Along with that elite plate discipline, he showed up some decent power, hitting 15 home runs in 93 games in Double-A in 2013.  He followed that up with hitting another 13 in Double-A the following season with St. Louis (in just 67 games) before jumping straight to Triple-A upon joining the Indians. He added another three home runs with the Columbus Clippers, giving him 16 on the year. Overall in 2014, Ramsey hit a robust .295/.382/.509. Not bad for only his second full season in pro ball. He appeared ready to take the next step in 2015 and possibly help the big league club if the need arose. However, things did not go as planned…

Ramsey struggled from the outset last year and in 126 games with the Clippers, hit just .243/.327/.382. His walk rate was still good but dipped to a career low 10.5% and his strikeout rate (which was never great) was up to 25.4%.  His power, which always surprised scouts, disappeared for the most part as his isolated power (ISO) dropped from .214 in 2014 to just .139 in 2015.  Ramsey was always sort of viewed as a guy that played above his tools, and that finally showed up in 2015.

Defensively Ramsey doesn’t really “wow” at any outfield position but he’s more than capable of handling all three. His arm is average as is his speed.  He’s also struggled at times versus left-handed pitching, leading some to foresee him as a future platoon outfielder. In his four years in the minors, he has posted an OPS over 100 points higher versus right-handed pitching (.804) than versus left-handed pitching (.697).  At the end of the day, Ramsey is the type of prospect that really doesn’t a tool that he truly excels at (unless you count walks as a “tool”), which, despite his great approach at the plate, holds him back as a prospect.

Where Does He Go From Here?

Ramsey’s outlook couldn’t be much different this spring versus last. Despite being added to the Tribe’s 40-man roster he’s still not viewed as a truly realistic option for the Indians in the outfield, even with the depth being tested with the Michael Brantley injury and Abraham Almonte suspension.  Thus far this spring, most of the talk has been about Naquin, Joey Butler, Collin Cowgill, and the host of non-roster invitees, with very little said about Ramsey.  He would appear set to return to Triple-A Columbus where he’ll likely see time at all three outfield spots, with the focus again on centerfield and rightfield.

Next: Indians Top Prospects: #22 Yu-Cheng Chang

Despite seemingly being the “forgotten outfielder,” Ramsey would appear to still carry some weight with the Indians. I mean, why else they wouldn’t have added him to their 40-man roster back in November?  Seen at the time as a surprise move by some, it’s clear that the Tribe is hoping Ramsey is capable of putting 2015 behind him and getting back to being the player he was in 2013 and 2014.  So while all the focus seems to be on Naquin, Tribe fans should not completely sleep on Ramsey as a guy that could help the big league club this year in Cleveland, even if it’s just in a platoon/backup type of role.