Nationals Prospect # 9- JP Ramirez

Jonathan Paul Ramirez was taken by the Washington Nationals in the 16th round of the 2008 MLB draft. Already committed to Tulane University, many believed that drafting Ramirez was a waste, and signing him was unlikely for any club. However in late August when the Nats failed to sign first round pick Aaron Crow, they immediately turned to Ramirez offering him a one million dollar contract with the left-over money. 
JP Ramirez, 18, was a standout at Canyon High School in New Braunfels Texas. Playing both outfield and first base, Ramirez lead his team his senior year batting .530 with 26 extra base hits. In his time at Canyon, Ramirez earned all-state honors three times and drew comparisons to fellow Canyon Alumni, Lance Berkman. 
Outside of his high school performance there isn't a lot known about Ramirez. He signed with the Nationals just in time to get only 11 AB's in the Gulf Coast League. He excelled in the small sample size, going 4/11 with 8 RBI's and 4 walks. 
Scouts describe Ramirez as, "A pure hitter with a quiet, quick and precise left handed stroke. Has shown ability to hit consistently, and has had little trouble handling quality stuff. All signs point to continued offensive production. He Also runs very well, and has shown arm strength."
At 5 foot 10 and only 185 pounds, Ramirez doesn't have very much size. He projects to be a slap hitting center fielder without incredible stolen base speed. It's rather odd for a 16th round pick to be placed on the list of top 10 prospects for a team before he has more than 15 at bats at any professional level. This could either be an indictment on the Nationals farm system, or Baseball America's true belief that Ramirez is a diamond in the rough. While BA didn't place Ramirez in the Nats 2012 line up, they did say he was the programs best hitter for average.