The New York Mets currently have four Top 100 prospects led by Francisco Alvarez. Among these prospects, Alex Ramirez stands out, for perhaps having the development potential of a five-tools player.
The Dominican native was signed in 2019 in the International Draft and has since become a valued center fielder for scouts around baseball. However, like all young people, he needs to refine some areas. In this sense, the arrival of Carlos Beltran to the Mets could be a good opportunity for Ramirez to learn from Beltran in search of improving in three big areas.
New Mets special assistant GM Carlos Beltran can help Ramirez in pitch recognition.
To many baseball and Mets fans, Beltran was a great hitter but they forget his ability to recognize the strike zone. Throughout his career, the Puerto Rican improved his selection of pitches to swing, posting a .370 OBP more than seven times in his MLB tenure.
Ramirez, on the other hand, has had issues with strikeouts and pitch recognition. Despite trimming his strikeout percentage in 2022, his pick is still very poor for the pro level he is expected to advance. Now with Beltran helping new prospects, Ramirez can take advantage of the knowledge and advice of an elite hitter like Carlos to improve on this deficiency.
New Mets special assistant GM Carlos Beltran can help Ramirez on defense in the center field.
If there was one area where Carlos Beltran excelled, especially with the Mets, it was his impeccable defense in center field. His ability to manage great distances in the outfield, recognize the types of hits, and know the stadiums where he played offered him a comparative advantage over his peers.
Scouts recognize Alex Ramirez as a good defender in the center field thanks to his speed and his arm, but he must improve in recognizing hits to take advantage in every situation. In this area, Beltrán has a wealth of experience and can help the young prospect step up his defense at one of baseball's most in-demand positions.
Mets prospect Alex Ramirez could learn from Carlos Beltrán on how to handle pressure from New York City
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If Alex Ramirez continues his development and improves with the tips that Beltran can offer him, we will be discussing how Ramirez becomes a top 50 quite fast. However, there is something that can affect the development and talent of a player and, it is the pressure of a city as demanding and complicated as New York.
In this topic, Beltran has enough experience. When he arrived at the Mets he was in the eye of the hurricane but quickly he put up the best numbers of his career, in his second year. Although the 2006 season is remembered for his infamous strikeout in the National League Championship Series against then-rookie Adam Wainwright, Beltran knew how to recover from criticism and pressure from the press, placing a great season in 2007.
If Ramirez can hone these three areas with the help of a mentor like Carlos Beltran, the future center field of the Mets organization may be the best we've seen since the #15 came to the Mets in 2005. Ramirez's future portends great things.