80. Heliot Ramos, OF, San Francisco Giants
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 9/7/1999 (18)
Likely 2018 opening level: low-A
Info: Ramos was one of the youngest players in the 2017 draft, an impressively talented player out of Puerto Rico who lit up the showcase circuit in the summer of 2016 with his incredible power. A number of teams were hoping he would slide to later in the first round to make an over-slot deal with Ramos, bu the Giants broke their typical college-heavy mold to grab Ramos with the 19th overall pick.
Many saw Ramos as the most physically talented player in the entire 2017 draft
Many saw Ramos as the most physically talented player in the entire 2017 draft, but most felt that he would take some development time to be able to see his immense talent come to fruition on the field.
Instead, Ramos came out and absolutely dominated the Arizona Rookie League, hitting .348/.404/.645 with 11 doubles, 6 triples, 6 home runs, and even stealing 10 bases. He spent all of his defensive time in center field, and while his plus speed allowed him to work well at the position, he’s likely a right fielder long term with a plus arm to handle the position.
Ramos does need to work on cleaning up his swing and miss, and the Giants could hold him back in extended spring to work on that, but he certainly showed that he was ready for a full-season league once he leaves the complex this season.
79. Taylor Trammell, OF, Cincinnati Reds
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 9/13/1997 (20)
Likely 2018 opening level: high-A
Info: A legit two-sport star athlete, Trammell had the ability to go early in the 2016 MLB draft or be a prime recruit in football as a running back, where he was signed with Georgia Tech.
The Reds gave him a hefty bonus to get him into their system, and with some struggles in his draft season, many wondered if they may have overpaid for his services. After 2017, those questions are no longer present.
Trammell put together one of the most impressive seasons in the Midwest League statistically, and the more impressive part is that he has much more left in his physical projection. He works with plus plus speed and above-average raw power, but his below-average arm will either leave him a weak-armed center fielder or force him to left field.
The Reds will push Trammell to high-A in 2018, and the FSL will test whether his 2017 breakout was real or not.
78. Bobby Bradley, 1B, Cleveland Indians
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 5/29/1996 (21)
Likely 2018 opening level: AAA
Info: Since the Indians selected Bradley with their 3rd round, he’s done nothing but pound baseballs. He had his first season in the Indians system not winning a league home run title in 2017, though he still pounded out 23 home runs over the season, bringing his career total to 87 home runs over 411 games, a 150 game pace of 32 long balls.
Bradley has a swing that is orchestrated for power, but that swing also leads to plenty of swing and miss as well, though he was able to keep his strikeout rate below 25% in 2017. He does have a decent eye at the plate, which does allow him to walk at a double-digit rate.
Bradley’s a first base only defensive profile, but he has a profile that works there well offensively. He should get a shot to further that profile at AAA in 2018, and he should be ready for prime time when both Edwin Encarnacion and Yonder Alonso are facing team options for the 2020 season, allowing the Indians to spend their money wisely in those options.
77. Wander Javier, SS, Minnesota Twins
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 12/29/1998 (19)
Likely 2018 opening level: low-A
Info: Javier could have opened up just enough door for the Twins that the move of Jermaine Palacios to the Rays opened up an opportunity for him to get a full season at low-A this season, as he and top prospect Royce Lewis likely would have opened the season splitting reps. Now, Javier can expose more to the incredible talent that led to him being the highest-paid international signee in Twins history.
Javier is a no-doubt shortstop, with fluid movements at shortstop, plus range, and a double plus arm. His biggest issue is simply gaining the maturity of knowing when to put a ball in his pocket rather than launch it across the infield.
At the plate, Javier is an impressive blend of plus speed with a frame to add to his present gap power and become a guy who hits for average, gap power, and some over-the-fence power as well as stealing bases.
76. J.B. Bukauskas, RHP, Houston Astros
Birthday (age on opening day 2018): 8/11/1996 (22)
Likely 2018 opening level: low-A
Info: Bukauskas had as much success on the mound as any pitcher in college this spring, but he fell into a few scouting traps, being barely 6′ (if that) tall, and throwing with a delivery that maximized his momentum, which can often lead to worry about future injury. When he had arguably his worst performance in one of his last starts before the draft, he took a tumble from a top-5 pick to the 15th overall pick by the Astros.
Bukauskas has an other-worldly slider that has received some grades as high as a pure 80 on the 20-to-80 scouting scale, but is typically graded a 65-70, which would rate it as one of the best in all of baseball. He works with a fastball that touches 96 but works best when he sits more in the 90-92 range early on as he can maintain velocity better throughout.
He flashed a change, but he did not really need to use it much in college, so Bukauskas is still developing his feel for his third pitch, but with a floor as an elite closer, he could move quickly. The Astros will have him at an A-ball level in 2018, whether that’s low-A or high-A, and adding another breaking pitch and/or refining his changeup feel could rocket him into the frontline starter discussion.
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