Marlins No. 4 prospect so skilled, he's made history in just 2 games

MIAMI -- The consensus around the Marlins’ organization this spring was that No. 4 prospect Agustín Ramírez had a big league-ready bat. He is proving that assessment correct two games into his MLB career.

Ramírez went 3-for-3 with two doubles and one walk, while the bullpen worked four scoreless innings in the Marlins’ 4-3 comeback victory over the Reds on Tuesday night at loanDepot park. After dropping five in a row, Miami has won a season-high three straight.

“I've been working a lot to have these results,” Ramírez said via interpreter Luis Dorante Jr. “And to be honest, sometimes I look through the mask and look at the stadium, I ask myself, ‘Am I here?’”

Since being recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville on Monday, Ramírez has collected five hits in his first two career games to set a franchise record. He has opened his MLB career by reaching base in seven of his first eight plate appearances. His bat is so potent that Miami put him in the cleanup spot on Tuesday, marking just the second time in club history a player has done so in his first or second MLB game (Lewin Diaz on Aug. 16, 2020).

A big reason for that is Ramírez’s exit velocities and bat speed. On Tuesday alone he recorded doubles at 106.7 mph and 111.2 mph, with bat speeds of 77.5 mph and 80.9 mph, respectively. To put the latter metric in perspective, the league average entering Tuesday was 71.5 mph (75-plus mph is the hard-hit equivalent).

“He's certainly a real talent,” manager Clayton McCullough said. “There's real bat speed, there's real impact. You're never sure how a young player is going to come in right away and respond at the Major League level. It's like a real calmness to his plate appearances, what he's swinging at. He's firing at the right pitches. And there's a real aggressive approach there, and a real threat.

“So I think it's as much as there's a presence in the box, already a couple games, kind of letting the game come to him and putting off and taking some really, really good swings.”

The 23-year-old Ramírez kicked off Miami’s rally in the sixth. Trailing 3-1, Ramírez recorded his first career RBI on a two-out double down the third-base line that chased right-hander Nick Martinez and cut the Marlins’ deficit in half. The Marlins then plated a pair of runs in the seventh to take a lead they didn't relinquish.

Cincinnati catcher Jose Trevino, a 2022 All-Star and Platinum Gold Glover, overlapped in the Yankees’ system with Ramírez. During 2024 Spring Training, Trevino nicknamed Ramírez -- already a highly regarded prospect – “The Future.”

Their careers have since taken them to different organizations, and through the first two games of this midweek series, they have been the starting backstops for opposing teams.

“Man, just a talented, talented individual, you know?” Trevino said. “And to see him make his debut, and kind of, to be honest, to be on the same lineup card as him, and make his debut, and to be in the dugout on the other side of him, I think that's special. … I'm so proud of him. I've told him plenty of times.”

It’s important to remember the reason why Ramírez is with the big league club to begin with. Both Opening Day catcher Nick Fortes (left oblique strain) and veteran Rob Brantly (right lat strain) are sidelined with injuries. Ramírez and Rule 5 Draft pick Liam Hicks are the only healthy catching options on the 40-man roster.

When Miami recalled Ramírez ahead of Monday’s series opener, he was slashing .254/.313/.479 with three homers and 12 RBIs in 19 games at Triple-A Jacksonville. But on defense, Ramírez tallied seven passed balls, an error and 22 stolen bases allowed. According to MLB Pipeline’s scouting report, he has a 40-grade field on the 20-80 scale.

Should Ramírez continue to produce at the plate and show improvement behind the dish, might he force a tough decision for the front office?

“I think the [initial] message with Gus was, ‘Congratulations,’” McCullough said. “Certainly we've always believed in the talent, and still think there's still refining left to do, especially on the defensive end of things. It's great that he's come up and had a couple games and helped us win. He'll have to continue to work on the defense, and as we get further down the road, we just have to evaluate things, and what we feel like is best for now and moving on.”