Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
SURPRISE, Ariz. — Heliot Ramos was not invited to major league camp last spring, a fact Joey Bart took personally and publicly said his pal should be there.
Ramos is having such a good time at his first spring camp, he has decided to stay a bit longer.
While the Giants shrunk from 74 to 49 on Monday (theoretically at least; there is no minor league camp for the players to report to), the 21-year-old top outfield prospect was not touched. Gabe Kapler asked not to read into it beyond “rewarding strong performance,” and it would seem Ramos has little chance to break camp with the team.
But with each quality at-bat — and there have been plenty for a player who is 10-for-23 (.435) with three home runs in Cactus League play — there is more wonder about Ramos’ timeline.
Kapler called Ramos, who has said he feels he’s ready for the majors, “an advanced prospect.”
“Heliot has done a really nice job for us in camp, and we want to reward good performance,” the manager said after the 6-1 loss to the Royals at Surprise Stadium on Monday. “We’re not always going to because we may have other reasons for an option or a reassignment. But in this particular case, we think he’s having a great camp, and we just want to see a little bit more.”
The Giants have a need at center behind Mauricio Dubon, but the preference would be for a lefty hitter; Mike Yastrzemski has taken reps there, as has LaMonte Wade Jr. and Steven Duggar. It’s possible Ramos’ clearest path to the majors could be if Dubon is needed more at shortstop, where the Giants have virtually no one behind Brandon Crawford.
Ramos played just 25 games at Double-A in 2019 before spending his 2020 at the alternate site. There is and was much unknown about how much prospects developed in Sacramento, but Ramos has said he feels he’s much better off after focusing on plate discipline there.
Kapler said for Jaylin Davis, who was optioned to the minors, “it was the right time to put his mind on making progress with his contact.”
The outfielder struck out eight times in 15 plate appearances this spring.
Kapler on Marco Luciano, who showed off a nice defensive profile but struck out 11 times in 17 plate appearances.
“He has a lot more developing to do at the minor league level,” Kapler said of the 19-year-old. “I think we all know that.”
The Giants didn’t have a hit against Kansas City until Alex Dickerson‘s double in the fifth.
In the seventh inning, Wade, playing first, fielded a high hopper as Kansas City’s Clay Dungan dashed from third to home. Rather than go to the bag, the lefty Wade threw home — on a narrow angle because there was a runner heading toward him — and delivered a strike to Chadwick Tromp, who tagged Dungan out.
Wade will spend more of his time in the outfield, but he has a first-base past. Especially with the uncertainty around Brandon Belt, another lefty at first will help.
Speaking of Giants first basemen, Darin Ruf blistered three balls Monday, his third going for a double to right-center and the only hit he came away with. The righty Ruf put together good at-bats against two righty pitchers and lefty Danny Duffy, and is convincing the Giants last year was not a fluke.