I know we focus on the minors around here — but the whole point of following the minors is to watch the slow build up to an impact on the majors. There’s just nothing like the sensation of watching a kid you’ve watched since 16 or 17 get the Call Up! Well, I suppose, actually being the kid who’s worked his entire life for this moment is probably a far superior feeling — but for a minor league site, this is about as cool as it gets. This weekend, Heliot Ramos finally saw Oracle Park from between the lines, making him the 22,584th major league player in history. I’ve said this before — it’s amazing to me that you can go to a major league game and see around you at a glance more people than have ever appeared in a major league game.
Incredible! What a day for Heliot and the entire SF Giants organization!
Who knows how long this opportunity will last. John Brebbia’s bereavement was the instigating move, but who knows what a couple of days of inspirational play can accomplish. The Giants will, no doubt, be careful to put Ramos in a position to succeed, using him primarily against LHP — against whom he hit .320/.380/.528 last year!
But, regardless of whether it’s a visit or a long-term lease, the weekend was certainly sweet for a kid who has worked hard to get here. It’s been a great year for the Ramos family — remember Heliot’s older brother, Henry Ramos made his big league debut with the D’backs last fall. Henry’s career has moved on to other shores; he’s playing in Korea this year. Here’s hoping Heliot has a long, illustrious career in his home country.
But we have a lot to do today, with a super-stuffed weekend edition, so let’s wipe the proud tear from our eyes and turn our attention to the action in the minor league venues, where everybody is hoping to get to where Heliot is today! And, where everybody is very happy and proud for their former player and teammate.
HITTER of the Weekend: Michael Gigliotti (Rich) 5 for 7, HR, 5 RBI, BB, 3 R
PITCHER of the Weekend: Mason Black (SJ), 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K
Don’t forget — for those of you thinking about subscribing to There R Giants for full roundups of the farm system, you can get 30% of the annual subscription price through Thursday. It’s a great time to join in!
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to There R Giants to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.