PHEONIX, AZ – OCTOBER 15: Jose Ramos #31 of the Glendale Desert Dogs bats during the game between … [+]
Major League Baseball will conduct their Rule 5 Draft December 7, 2022, at the Winter Meetings in San Diego.
A player that was signed by a Major League Baseball organization at the age of 18 or younger on the June 5 preceding his signing must be placed on the club’s 40-man roster by the player’s 5th year of service at the time of the Rule 5 draft . If he is not protected on the 40-man roster, he is subject to exposure to the Rule 5 Draft.
A player that was signed by a Major League Baseball organization at the age of 19 or older on the June 5 preceding his signing must be placed on the club’s 40-man roster by the player’s 4th year of service at the time of the Rule 5 draft , or he is subject to exposure to the Rule 5 Draft.
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Any club with fewer than 40 players on their organizational roster may select from among the unprotected pool of eligible players.
Team selections are based on a club’s previous season’s win-loss record, from worst to best, in that order. Once selected, the player may not be optioned to the minor leagues or be designated to the minor leagues.
Each draftee costs $100,000, payable to the player’s original team.
The drafted player must remain on his new club’s 26-man major league roster for the entire season, or be offered back to his original team at half-price, or $50,000.
The Rule 5 Draft is an important component of the entire MLB player procurement landscape. In fact, there have been some extremely successful MLB players that were selected in the Rule 5 Draft.
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Some of the more prominent players selected in the Rule 5 Draft include:
PITTSBURGH – AUGUST 25: Roberto Clemente Bridge signage in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on August 25, … [+]
Roberto Clemente-outfielder-selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates 1954
Jose Bautista-outfielder-selected by the Baltimore Orioles in 2003
Josh Hamilton-outfielder-selected by the Chicago Cubs in 2006 and immediately purchased by the Cincinnati Reds
Johan Santana-pitcher-selected by the Florida Marlins in 1999
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Ryan Pressly-pitcher-selected by the Minnesota Twins in 2012
Nestor Cortes-pitcher-selected by the Baltimore Orioles in 2017
Teams are well aware of the risk involved in leaving a player unprotected on the 40-man roster. However, those tough decisions are based upon a thorough evaluation of the player’s future potential, and the team’s current positional roster depth.
To this scout, the Los Angeles Dodgers have exposed one of their best prospects to the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.
Dodgers outfield prospect Jose Ramos is rated as the No. 8 prospect in the Dodgers MLB.com prospect rankings.
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SCOTTSDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 11: Jose Ramos #31 of the Glendale Desert Dogs signs autographs prior to … [+]
Scouting Jose Ramos:
Jose Ramos was signed as a 17-year old by the Dodgers in 2018 as an international free agent from Panama. He received a $30,000 signing bonus.
Ramos was 5-11, 150 pounds when he was signed out of Panama, but he has developed a strong, 6-1, 200 pound frame in his four years with the Dodgers.
Ramos began his professional career stateside with the Dodgers playing in the Arizona (Rookie) Complex League in 2021. He hit .383 with 3 homers and 15 RBIs in just 15 games.
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That electric start earned him an immediate promotion to Class-A Rancho Cucamonga, where he finished the season hitting an additional 8 home runs and driving in 44 more runs in the final two months of his age 20 season.
This scout had the opportunity to observe and evaluate right-handed hitting Jose Ramos in the recently concluded Arizona Fall League.
Ramos, 21, played in 20 games for the Glendale Desert Dogs. In 80 at-bats, Ramos hit .275/.326/.463/.789 with 3 home runs and 16 RBIs. He scored 14 runs.
While Ramos didn’t set the world on fire this past fall, he showed enough promise to get the attention of scouts in the stands. His Dodgers teammate, outfielder Andy Pages, made a bigger impression, making the Fall Stars Team and hitting .296 with 5 homers and 14 RBS.
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Showing a tendency to pull the ball, Ramos has shown excellent raw power. In his development to date, he has hit his share of doubles as well as home runs. Aggressive at the plate, he is especially dangerous hitting fast balls.
Ramos has a smooth swing with both bat speed and strength, but lots of swing and miss remains in his game.
To this scout, there are still some wrinkles to iron out in his mechanics at the plate. He will have to work on his timing and hitting trigger. He has to refine the coordination of his upper and lower body in his swing.
Like many young, inexperienced hitters, Ramos has difficulty with breaking balls. As time goes on, he should be able to make the necessary adjustments and refinements to those type of pitches.
In addition to flashing above average power, Ramos has shown a very strong and accurate arm from the outfield. He can play any of the three outfield positions, but his arm strength fits very well in right field. His arm strength is probably his most pronounced and advanced tool.
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An average runner, Ramos won’t be a candidate to steal many bases.
Conclusions:
The Major League Baseball Rule 5 draft will be held December 7 at the Winter Meetings in San Diego.
MLB clubs with a vacancy on their 40-man roster may look to bolster their big league depth with a player like the Los Angeles Dodgers outfield prospect, Jose Ramos.
Ramos will turn 22 in January. His two most promising tools are his raw power and his strong, accurate outfield arm.
To this scout, Ramos has a chance to be a power source and a very good defensive outfielder at the big league level. He is having great success hitting fastballs during his development in the Dodgers farm system. However, he is still learning how to hit off-speed pitches and breaking balls.
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Ramos is a raw prospect with no experience beyond 95 games played this past season at Class-A Advanced Great Lakes, and 20 games in the Arizona Fall League.
On a scouting scale of 40-80, a grade 50 is an average major league player. To this scout, Ramos is an average, major league player. He is a Grade 50, with a grade 65 arm strength.
Due to his lack of experience against quality pitching, it may be difficult for a major league club to keep Jose Ramos on the big league roster for the entire season. In that way, the Los Angeles Dodgers may avoid losing a fine prospect.
While many clubs may have their own outfield candidates, Ramos may appeal to a team in need of a player with projectable major league power. He could well be worth the $100,000 investment a club would pay the Dodgers to acquire a solid hitting player with the upside of Jose Ramos.
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