2nd best NY Mets int'l free agent's scouting report includes 2 very different players

Wandy Asigen was the headliner of the 2026 New York Mets international free agent signing period. More are on the way, but he’ll be the highest ranking one added to the farm system.

Second? It’s Cleiner Ramirez who ranked as the 23rd best international free agent available.

Unless you’re fully invested into these kinds of things, it’s hard to really know what to expect from teenage prospects coming over from foreign countries. Boom or bust, the best thing is to get some MLB comparisons. For Ramirez, the range couldn’t be much wider with the two players he was linked to in a very limited way.

Two players were mentioned in the scouting report for Cleiner Ramirez, Kirby Puckett and Luisangel Acuna

Standing at 5’9 and weighing 175 pounds, Ramirez is an inch taller and a few pounds lighter than Luisangel Acuna’s 5’8, 181 pounds. Kirby Puckett’s playing size measured in at 5’8, 178 pounds. Who’s to say he never went on a bulk in his career?

Seeing the name of any Hall of Fame player linked to an amateur player sure is promising. But the throw in of Acuna by MLB Pipeline suggests no one is really all that sure what he’ll become. Fair enough. Nobody does.

For Acuna, the comparison is only the “balanced skill set with tons of upside” while the Puckett comp is more body type in terms of “filling out.” Ramirez is 17, still growing, and a diet of American fast food can always help him grow some muscles. If you ever saw the ESPN 30/30 about Livan and Orlando Hernandez, you’ll know how much different a young player’s shape can take when they have the choice between Burger King, McDonald’s, and Wendy’s at all hours of the day.

Although listed as an outfielder right now, he has played some infield and we could see him handle shortstop at the lower minor leagues. He is expected to be utilized in more of a utility role while moving all over the field.

If anything else, the Ramirez comparison to Acuna just reminds us of the latter’s inability to reach that high upside we believed was right around the corner. Acuna has gone from the number one Mets prospect to a guy on the fringe of the roster, best used as a pinch runner or defensive replacement. To that same end, we’re reminded that maybe the soon-to-be 24-year-old just needs time. Will the Mets give it to him? His balanced skill set with tons of upside tells us to keep our patience a little longer.