As the 2019 Minor League Baseball season hits its halfway mark, players have climbed up and down the prospect rankings ladder.
While the San Francisco Giants continue to sit at the bottom of the National League West standings, the Advanced Class-A San Jose Giants have two of the best prospects in the game. Heliot Ramos, still just 19 years old, is one of baseball's highest risers when it comes to rankings.
The Giants' No. 2 overall prospect has gone from No. 70 overall to No. 57 in MLB.com's latest list of the top 100 prospects in all of baseball.
"We got a chance to see him this spring and he's got some huge potential," Giants manager Bruce Bochy recently said when asked about Ramos. "With that bat speed, this kid can do some damage."
During the first half of San Jose's season, Ramos has done plenty of damage to opposing pitchers. Through 37 games, Ramos is hitting .295 with eight home runs and a .942 OPS. He also started in center field during Tuesday's California League All-Star Game.
Despite missing 28 games with a sprained knee, Ramos still leads San Jose in home runs, batting average and slugging percentage (.570). He's also second on the team in doubles (10) and OPS.
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What's been most promising in Ramos' progression this year is his plate discipline. Ramos has a .389 on-base percentage after posting a lowly .313 OBP with the Augusta GreenJackets last year.
Ramos walked 35 times in 124 games in 2018. This season, he already has 18 in 37 games. His walk rate has gone up from 7.2 percent a season ago, to 13.6 this year.
The ultra-talented teenager worked all offseason on recognizing pitches longer and laying off balls in the dirt. The work has clearly paid off.
"Those are characteristics that you usually see out of veteran hitters, and that was really encouraging to see that he's started to acquire that skill," Giants farm director Kyle Haines said in mid-April.
[RELATED: How Ramos' elite numbers compare to current Giants stars]
Though he is the team's highest riser, Ramos isn't San Jose's lone player on MLB.com's latest top 100 list. Joey Bart, the Giants' top pick in 2018 and No. 1 prospect, has jumped from No. 23 in the preseason to No. 19 overall.
At the start of the decade, Buster Posey (No. 4) and Madison Bumgarner (No. 6) entered the 2010 season as two of baseball's best prospects. All they've done since is bring the Giants three World Series rings.
As the next decade begins with Bart and Ramos cracking the top 60 at the midseason point, this duo could own the future of Giants baseball.
