Truly top organizations prioritize player development over anything else, including spending on free agents or making impactful trades. There is nothing more rewarding (and cheap, for payroll purposes) than helping a struggling prospect turn around his career after a couple of frustrating years, and the New York Mets know this.
Yes, they have the money to fill their lineup with powerful, 30-homer players and their rotation with sub-3.50 ERA guys, but that’s not sustainable over time. Homegrown players who contribute are still the most valuable assets in the game.
With this in mind, the Mets’ player development and coaching will be tested with the return of struggling organizational outfielder and former top prospect Alex Ramirez.
“The Mets have agreed to a minor league deal with Alex Ramirez, per @WillSammon. Ramirez, once a top 10 prospect in the Mets’ system, will return to the organization after a difficult season and a .590 OPS last year with Double-A Binghamton,” SNY posted on X.
Ramirez is still very young at 21 years old, and he stole 40 bases in Double-A this past season, so the Mets have something to work with: at the very least, the player is highly athletic and boasts game-changing speed.
The Mets are giving Ramirez another chance
His hit tool is in serious question, though. That .590 OPS showed he still has a long way to go before we can say he can hit high minors pitching, and he posted a horrible 74 wRC+.
He had been similarly bad in 2023 in High-A with a 78 wRC+, so the Mets certainly need to come up with a strategy.
We know he has the speed, but Ramirez also has considerable pull power that gives him a chance to be more than a slap hitter in MLB. The problem is that he has virtually no discipline, swinging at balls and strikes alike.
If the Mets can coach him up and get him to be more selective, he could start getting himself in the conversation again. The road to redemption is long, though.