Ramos ready to lead Columbia Fireflies into season opener
Milton Ramos is no stranger to dealing with lofty expectations.
The 20-year-old has been dealing with them for much of his career and that won’t change as he begins his first full season in professional baseball. Ramos is the 11th-ranked prospect in the New York Mets’ organization by MLB.com and will be the everyday shortstop for the Columbia Fireflies, who begin their inaugural season on Thursday at Charleston.
“I love it. It makes me work harder,” said Ramos, who’s the highest-ranked prospect on the Fireflies’ roster. “I’m still not satisfied. You can never be satisfied. I want to be higher on the prospect list. Right now, they set me at 11. But hopefully by the end of the year, I just want to show people what I am capable of and prove everyone I was drafted for a reason.”
Ramos never has walked away from a challenge and didn’t have it easy growing up when he moved to the Florida from Colombia at the age of 6.
Ramos remembers living in a trailer in the Hialeah Gardens area in south Florida and getting teased by other kids. He got the last laugh on the field where he became a high school All-American during his senior year at American Heritage High in Miami.
During his senior season, he hit .424 with four homers and 21 RBIs and was known for his slick fielding at shortstop. His defensive skills and potential were a few of the reasons that the Mets took him in the third round of the 2014 draft.
Ramos received a $750,000 signing bonus, some of which went to his parents.
“Ever since I got signed, it has always been about my parents,” Ramos said. “I got them a house and car and took them shopping. Those people were there for me since day one.”
Ramos hopes to have his parents in the stands next week at Spirit Communications Park for the Fireflies’ home opener on April 14 and wants to build on the strong season he had last year at Kingsport, the Mets’ rookie league affiliate in the Appalachian League. The 5-foot-11, 158-pound Ramos hit .317 with a homer and 24 RBIs in 43 games last season.
“We have been through the system together and he is a great player. He has developed as a hitter along the way,” Columbia first baseman Dash Winningham said.
And for Ramos, he hopes it’s just the beginning of a productive career.
“There are a lot of hard things you got to go through but it is all about adjustments and understanding your role,” Ramos said. “I’m just looking forward to giving it my all on the field and working hard in helping the team win a ring.”
OPENING DAY
What: Columbia at Charleston
When: Thursday, 7:05 p.m.
Radio: 620 AM and 105.1 FM
Pitching matchup: Chase Ingram (Columbia) vs. TBA
METS TOP PROSPECTS
A list of the Mets’ top prospects by MLB.com and Baseball America that are on the Columbia Fireflies’ roster:
Milton Ramos, SS (No. 11 MLB.com/No. 19 Baseball America): Former third-round pick hit .317 with a homer and 24 RBIs at Kingsport.
Patrick Mazeika (No. 25 Baseball America): 2015 eighth-round pick hit .354 with five homers and 48 RBIs at Kingsport.
David Thompson (No. 26 MLB.com): Former Miami Hurricane and fourth-round pick hit .218 with three homers and 22 RBIs at Brooklyn last year.
Dash Winningham (No 29 Baseball America): 2014 eighth-round pick hit .266 with 12 homers and 51 RBIs last year at Kingsport.
This story was originally published April 6, 2016 at 5:14 PM with the headline "Ramos ready to lead Columbia Fireflies into season opener."