Angels have high hopes for prospect Lucas Ramirez, who hit 2 HRs in WBC

TEMPE, Ariz. — Lucas Ramirez has spent the week trying to prove the prospect analysts wrong.

Ramirez, the son of longtime big-league slugger Manny Ramírez, has not even been ranked among the top 30 prospects in an Angels system that is considered one of the worst in baseball.

But this week, Ramirez has been playing for Brazil in the World Baseball Classic. He hit a homer against Jacob deGrom in an exhibition against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, and then he hit two homers against Team USA in Brazil’s first game of the tournament Friday.

“Anytime our players can get exposure to playing at a high level and have success, I think it certainly positively impacts their self-confidence and how that translates to performance on the field,” said Joey Prebysnki, the Angels’ assistant general manager and director of player development.

Ramirez, 20, became the youngest player to have a multi-homer game in the WBC.

“This is the best day ever of my life, to be honest,” Ramirez told reporters after the game in Houston.

Ramirez homered against San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb in the first inning, and then he hit a left-on-left homer against reliever Gabe Speier in the eighth.

Ramirez, whose mother is Brazilian, said he had been dreaming of moments like this.

“Ever since the qualifiers, I’ve been envisioning a first-at-bat bomb,” Ramirez said. “It is crazy it actually happened. For five months, every time before I go to bed, after I pray, you know, I visualize it. And it happened.”

His exploits this week could get prospect evaluators to reconsider how they rate him.

Ramirez was drafted by the Angels in the 17th round out of American Heritage High in Florida in 2024. The Angels gave him a $150,000 bonus to buy him out of a commitment to play college baseball at Tennessee.

He didn’t play in the minors until 2025, spending most of the season at the rookie-level Arizona Complex League. He hit .282 with three homers and an .828 OPS in 191 plate appearances. He finished the season at Class-A Tri-Cities, hitting .172 with a .464 OPS. He struck out in 14 of his 35 plate appearances at Tri-Cities.

If Ramirez can tap into the power he’s shown this week, it would be a boost for a farm system that is thin on hitters.

Prebynski said “handling the spin at the upper levels” is the main challenge for him to move up in the ranks.

Defensively, Ramirez is making progress.

“He’s continued to get better in the corner,” Prebynski said. “Something that he’s really improved on is coming in on balls. His arm strength’s continued to improve. He’s gotten better jumps.”

Manager Kurt Suzuki got to watch Ramirez over the past season and a half. He was in the minor-league minicamp in Arizona in January.

“I know he’s playing really well right now and just watching him go about his work, whether it’s the outfield drills, batting practice, live BPs, just watching, you can see the talent in there,” Suzuki said. “For me, just watching the way he moves and everything, I feel he’s going to be a great player.”

RADA UPDATE

Outfielder Nelson Rada, who is the Angels’ consensus best position player prospect, was hitting .294 with a .794 OPS in his first 24 plate appearances of the spring. Rada had five strikeouts and four walks, with no extra base hits.

Suzuki said Rada still needs to become more consistent and find a solid routine to prepare for each game.

“It’s the stuff off the field where the preparation and consistency with that and learning that,” Suzuki said. “Shoot, what is he, 20 years old? He’s 20 years old and when he plays on the field, he looks like he’s a pro that’s been playing six years in the big leagues. That’s a great thing for him. I’m a huge fan.”

SANDLIN UPDATE

Right-hander Nick Sandlin threw to hitters for the first time this spring Saturday, a key step in his road back from offseason arthroscopic elbow surgery.

“It was good,” Sandlin said. “I’ll definitely take it. It’s been a while. It’s good to be out there facing hitters.”

Sandlin, 29, is a non-roster invitee with a good enough track record that he should have a spot in the bullpen if he’s healthy. In parts of five big-league seasons, he has a 3.19 ERA, including a 2.20 mark in 16⅓ innings with the Toronto Blue Jays last season.

Opponents have hit .191 against Sandlin throughout his career. Even though he has a sidearm release, he’s been just as effective against lefties (.183) and righties (.196).

NOTES

Right-hander Tyler Bremner, the Angels’ top prospect, faced hitters for the second time this week, and he showed improvement on the slider they’ve been trying to refine this spring. Bremner is expected to pitch in a game sometime in the next week, and then pitch in the Spring Breakout Game on March 19. …

Right-hander Robert Stephenson, who faced hitters for the first time this spring Friday, is expected to do so again at least one more time before getting into his first Cactus League game. …

Left-hander Sam Aldegheri struck out eight in 4⅔ scoreless innings for Italy against Brazil in the WBC on Saturday.

Trey Gregory-Alford, one of the Angels’ top pitching prospects, is expected to pitch in the Angels’ game against the Texas Rangers on Sunday. …

Right-hander José Soriano has thrown a bullpen since coming back from the flu. Suzuki said he’s “not far behind,” although he’s not sure when Soriano will get back into a Cactus League game. …

Outfielder Josh Lowe revealed on his Instagram account that his mother died. She had been battling cancer.