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Pirates Rumored to be Pursuing International Outfielder

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For the past month, it seems like I get asked this question at least once a day: who are the Pirates targeting on the international market?  Prior to the draft we didn’t hear much news, mostly because outlets like Baseball America were focused on the draft.  Ben Badler of Baseball America has been releasing his July 2nd previews, and has an interesting note for Pirates fans in today’s preview of outfielders and catchers.

Badler mentions outfielder Harold Ramirez as a guy who could be in line for a bonus of around $1 M, and that the Pirates are the team most closely tied to Ramirez at that price.  Ramirez is 16 years old, from Columbia, and has a thick 5′ 11″, 175 pound frame.  Despite the frame, he’s a plus-plus runner, although he doesn’t really have the arm for center field, and there might not be any power projection left in his frame.

The Pirates spent the 4th most in the international market last year, mostly due to the $2.6 M given to Luis Heredia.  In Badler’s preview of the top options on the market, he mentioned that the Pirates would be a team that is active this year, although not to the extent that they were last year.  We’ve already heard that the Pirates don’t envision a Heredia or Miguel Sano this year.  If they do end up spending $1 M on Ramirez, it would be a significant splash, ranking as the second biggest international bonus given out by the Pirates.

Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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