‘He’s on a mission’: SF Giants’ Ramos intent on rebounding following rocky season

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — The compliments poured in. How could they not?

When Heliot Ramos strolled into the clubhouse on Thursday morning, his hair was no longer its usual dark brown but a captivating blonde. It’s not quite the beach-blonde look that Jason Kidd rocked in the 90s, but it’s still a brand-new look for the 26-year-old. After getting a taper fade, Ramos sat through two sessions to transform his hair. The first session was smooth; the second burned his scalp.

Ramos’ fashion statement stands out for now, but next week, he’ll be standing next to a sea of fellow part-time blondes when he joins Team Puerto Rico for the World Baseball Classic. “Team Rubio” started the trend in 2017, and whenever the tournament rolls around, they enlist hair stylists en masse.

Playing for Puerto Rico is a privilege in and of itself, but Ramos and his teammates will play on their home turf. Team Rubio is part of Pool A, which will play at the historic Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan. Puerto Rico has twice been a runner-up but never won the tournament, and the road to gold begins in Ramos’ backyard.

“It’s a proud moment for me and my family,” Ramos said. “When my mom, my dad, my family and friends found out, they were all excited about it. Everybody’s waiting for it. It’s something that I never imagined would happen. Representing Puerto Rico at my house, it’s tight. Out of this world.”

A gold medal isn’t all Ramos has his eyes set on this year.

Ramos broke out in 2024, becoming the Giants’ first homegrown All-Star outfielder since Chili Davis in ‘86, but he couldn’t replicate his production in his first full major-league season. He had some fine counting stats — 21 homers, 69 RBIs, 159 hits — but his OPS dropped from .792 to .728.

Then, there was the defense.

Ramos’ metrics were bad enough. Over 154 games, Ramos was worth -9 outs above average, a range-based defensive metric. He was no better by Fielding Run Value, which had him as San Francisco’s worst defender. But then there were the lowlights, some of which were hard to watch.

“It was kind of embarrassing for me last year at the beginning,” Ramos said. “My second half defensively was pretty good, but my first half was really bad because I was in my head about it. I was trying to make every single play, trying to rush. I didn’t slow down the game the way I was supposed to. This year, I’m going to be a help for the team. I want to be nothing but good to my pitchers. I don’t want to let anybody down.”

Ramos got to work. Aside from two weeks in Puerto Rico, Ramos spent the entire offseason working out in Arizona. While Ramos spent much of the 2024-25 offseason recovering from plantar fasciitis and a hamstring injury, he was more active this past winter since he didn’t have to rehab. With healthy legs, he prioritized running and track work.

Ramos worked early and often with Shane Robinson, the Giants’ new first-base coach and outfield coach who was an excellent defender over his nine seasons in the majors. He practiced angles, routes and throws. Along with fielding off a machine, Ramos committed to intentionally shagging during batting practice to replicate how the ball comes off the bat.

“I don’t want to be a DH anytime soon,” Ramos said. “I feel like I’m pretty good out there in the outfield. I feel like I’m going to improve and I feel like I have the athleticism to be great and be a Gold Glover. I think I could be a Gold Glover.”

“He’s an incredibly dynamic player that’s still learning and still growing,” said manager Tony Vitello. “I don’t think we’ve seen him reach his ceiling yet, and the cool thing is he’s on a mission to reach his ceiling as soon as possible and have a little bit of a response from last year. … I think he’s got high hopes and high ambitions and high confidence that he’s better.”

Ramos has also used spring training to learn from free-agent acquisition Harrison Bader, a one-time Gold Glove Award winner who has totaled more outs above average than any other outfielder since making his debut. One point that Bader has imparted to Ramos and right fielder Jung Hoo Lee is to approach the corners like they’re center fielders.

“If you approach everything as a center fielder, it puts you in a good place to attack the ball,” Bader said after Wednesday’s dent-inducing homer. “I’m just trying to preach that. Those guys are picking it up. They’re fantastic outfielders, honestly.

“I’ve been watching them very closely. They’re very athletic, they move extremely well. I think the next step for both of them to make their metrics better … is just putting themselves in a better position before the pitch is thrown.”

Ramos prioritized fielding more than hitting in the offseason, but this isn’t to say he was content with last year’s numbers. If anything, he realized he lost part of his identity as a hitter.

The highlight of Ramos’ young career was being the first right-handed hitter to homer into McCovey Cove — on Roberto Clemente Day, no less. It was the ultimate exhibition of Ramos’ opposite-field power. Last year, that part of his game was not as prominent.

In 2024, Ramos hit four opposite-field homers and hit 29.7 percent of his batted balls to the opposite field. In ‘25, he only had two opposite-field home runs and hit 25.0 percent of his batted balls to the opposite field.

Ramos’ priority this spring has been clear: lean into his strength. On Thursday, Ramos hit his first home run of Cactus League play,  a 400-foot opposite-field shot that registered at 107.7 mph off the bat.

“Honestly, the thing is I think I was rolling over a lot,” Ramos said. “I was rushing in my swing. I was trying to fly open, I was trying to catch up, I was trying to hit the ball out front instead of trusting that my hands were quick enough to shoot the ball the other way. If you find something middle-in — like a breaking ball hanging — I could adjust and hit a homer with it.

“(Going to right field) is my bread and butter at the end of the day. It’s not like I’m going to be late. If the ball catches me late, I can take the exact same swing as if I’m going to catch the ball out front.”

This year is already shaping up to be a memorable one for Ramos. He eloped in February and is planning a wedding in his hometown in Puerto Rico for 2027. This weekend, he’ll travel home as Team Puerto Rico begins its pursuit of the World Baseball Classic title. And as things stand, he’s positioned to break the Giants’ streak of 19 different Opening Day left fielders.

The game proved to Ramos that success in one year does not guarantee success in the next. He knows he has more to give, and he’s intent on showcasing the breadth of his talent.

Blonde hair and all.

“In my mind, right now, I have no holes in my game,” Ramos said. “That’s a great spot to be at. I think I’m going to be — actually, I don’t think. I know I’m going to be very helpful to the team.”