Scouting Report

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Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 50 | Run: 45 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

Venezuela’s representatives among the Top 50 international prospects in 2026 make for arguably the most impressive crop the country has produced since the list began in 2012. Ramirez is one of those players helping the nation’s stock as he displays a balanced skill set with tons of upside, à la fellow countryman Luisangel Acuña. One evaluator compared Ramirez’s build by the time he’s done filling out to something mirroring Kirby Puckett. He trains with ABC Baseball in his native Venezuela.

At just 5-feet-9, Ramirez uses his shorter stature to his advantage in the box. His right-handed swing has tons of bat speed as he displays a repeatable bat path and ability to square up a variety of pitches. During his time in the Caracas Prospect League, he hit .419 (13-for-31) and racked up 21 total bases in 10 games. His power is still blossoming, but he has shown an advanced eye at the dish with 14 walks to just eight strikeouts in that same sample size.

Ramirez has experience playing around the infield as an amateur, but many scouts see his future on the grass. While he recorded a pair of outfield assists and went 3-for-3 on stolen-base attempts during his time in the Prospect League, he’s something of an unconventional runner with choppy strides. He could likely handle shortstop or center field, but with such a focus on the premium positions at the lower levels of the Minors, his ceiling will likely best be maximized by moving around the diamond and letting his loud offensive tools do the talking.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40

The Mets had one of the most top-heavy international classes this year. Dominican shortstop and MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 international prospect Wandy Asigen was the obvious headliner when he signed for $3.9 million on Jan. 15, but not to be overlooked was No. 23 Ramirez, who signed for $1,372,500 out of Venezuela. (New York acquired $1.5 million in bonus pool money from the Guardians in a deal for pitching prospect Franklin Gomez to make room for both talents and the rest of its 2026 signees.) Ramirez has seized the spotlight early on in the Dominican Summer League as the Mets Orange leadoff hitter.

Ramirez stands only 5-foot-9, but he can pack a punch with good bat speed and a repeatable bat path as a right-handed hitter. He showed out in the Caracas Prospect League before signing by going 13-for-31 (.419) with 21 total bases in 10 games, and he’s generated a good amount of contact during his foray into the pros in the D.R. He was expected to be hit-over-power coming out of the gate, but he’s collected an impressive amount of extra-base hits early on in the DSL, including two homers in just his 16th game on June 24. Stateside pitchers will prove bigger tests in the coming years.

Ramirez had experience in both the infield and the outfield as an amateur, and the Mets have given him reps at shortstop and center field early on to test his athleticism at the premium positions in both groups. Entering the year, many scouts had him moving long-term to the grass, where he’d have the most room to roam. It’ll be on Ramirez’s bat to do the talking while he sorts himself out defensively, and the early returns are promising there.

Awards

DSL Mid-Season All-Star

Year	Team
2026

Transactions

Team	Date	Transaction
	07/19/2026	OF Cleiner Ramirez assigned to DSL NL All-Stars.
	05/29/2026	OF Cleiner Ramirez assigned to DSL Mets Orange.
	01/15/2026	New York Mets signed free agent OF Cleiner Ramirez to a minor league contract.