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With their seventh round pick, the Astros took their first outfielder in the 2013 draft. James Ramsay is a left-handed hitting outfielder with a small frame but excellent skills in centerfield. He's only six feet tall, 190 lbs. and has limited power, but he showed the ability to hit for average in college and has a little bit of speed.
He hit .310 in 661 collegiate at-bats, but only eight home runs. He hit his fair share of doubles, and his slugging percentage this spring was .449. Ramsay has also shown the ability to get on base, posting OBPs of .390 his sophomore year and .409 this season. He rarely strikes out, totaling 88 K's in his 661 at-bats, and only made four errors in the field for his whole career.
Ramsay's defense is his best tool. A tweet from collegesplits.com:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but that means Ramsay saved 15 runs in center, making him one of the best fielders in college baseball this spring. That's a pretty impressive take on Ramsay's defensive skills.
Ramsay is a solid player who does a lot of things well; he gets on base, plays excellent defense, doesn't strike out and can find some gaps at the plate. That fits the sabermetric approach that Jeff Luhnow has shown a preference for in player development. His fielding is another indication that most players drafted in this range have one or two plus skills. It's hard to find above-average regulars at this stage, but it's a smart strategy to draft a guy with a couple of good tools and see if he develops. That's what Luhnow did with this pick.
Floor
If Ramsay shows that he can hit for average, he can be a fifth outfielder in the majors with his defensive skills and ability to get on base.
Ceiling
I don't think Ramsay will hit for a lot of power, but if the batting average really comes around, he can be a solid nine hole hitter in the Astros lineup who provides great defense and
Will He Sign?
Yes. Ramsay had an excellent junior season and doesn't have anything to prove at USF. He'll sign for slot and start in Tri-City.
Video
James Ramsay Talks After his Walkoff Triple (via Joshua Appel)
James Ramsay Talks After his Walkoff Triple (via Joshua Appel)