San Francisco Giants All-Star Finally Fulfills Promise of First-Round Pick

San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos needed seven years to finally put himself in a position for recognition.

Jul 11, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos (17) celebrates after hitting a two run home run during the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oracle Park. / Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

ARLINGTON, Texas — There is a part of San Francisco Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos that is having a hard time comprehending all of this.

Sitting at a small table in left field at Globe Life Field on All-Star Game media day, Ramos is one of 38 first-time All-Stars that will participate in Tuesday’s game. In some ways he might be the most improbable.

The Giants have seen incredible promise in Ramos since they took him in the first round of the 2017 Draft. But, up until this season, the 24-year-old hadn’t been able to play well enough to stick in the Majors when he got the chance.

That all changed earlier this season when the Giants called him up on May 8 after the Giants put Jorge Soler on the 10-day injured list. Right around that time, the Giants also lost their big free-agent signing from the offseason, center fielder Jung Hoo Lee, to an injury that would lead to season-ending shoulder surgery.

Those injuries gave Ramos the opening that he needed, even if he had doubts after two false starts in the Majors.

“This is a moment that I thought was never gonna happen,” he said with teammate Logan Webb nearby. “Honestly, I thought I was going to be in the minor leagues all year. I thought that this moment was never going to get here.”

In 31 games with the Giants in 2022-23, he never batted above .200. With regular playing this season, everything has changed.

He’s slashing .298/.365/.523/.888 with 14 home runs and 46 RBI since his call-up, and even though he wasn’t back in the Majors until May, he was selected to his first All-Star Game as a National League reserve.

Earlier this season, Ramos was here as the Giants faced the Texas Rangers, led by San Francisco’s former manager, Bruce Bochy. He was manager when Ramos was drafted and after transitioning away from the dugout in 2019, he remained a special assistant to the Giants and saw plenty of Ramos in the minors.

There was little doubt in Bochy’s mind that Ramos would get here at some point.

“I saw this kid come up through the minors with the time I spent there after I retired,” Bochy said. “He’s got power, he’s got a great arm, he runs well. He’s a gifted athlete.”

With his selection, he is the first Giants outfielder drafted and developed by the organization to make the All-Star Game since Chili Davis did it in 1986, which was 38 years ago.

The question is what changed? What finally clicked for Ramos to make the jump from being a potentially disappointing prospect to one that can help the Giants get back to the playoffs?

It’s all in his head.

“I think it’s my mentality now,” Ramos said. “Just go out there and be ready to play. I know the swing is there, you know what I mean? I make adjustments every day. It’s the mentality to go out and hunt the pitch.”

Lately, he’s been hunting like an All-Star.