Cerritos College SS Ramon Bramasco Scouting Report, February 2018

Switch hitter with modest barrel feel from both sides of the plate; more of a slap hitter with little power from left side with opposite-field ground ball slap-and-run orientation there. As a right-handed hitter, more consistent ability to sit back and get the barrel through the hitting zone and drive balls on a line in the air. Little power on either side of the plate with undersized stature and lack of physicality, though; short, punchy stroke for contact. Decent pitch recognition and good understanding of the strike zone with obvious approach at the plate and good awareness of game situation around him. Would like to see him more from the right side of the plate; hunch that he’s a significantly better hitter there just based on the way he moves, but I’ve thus far predominantly seen him work as LHH.

Very little power from either side of the plate; below-average hand and wrist strength, below average bat speed. Struggles to manipulate the barrel, particularly from the left side of the plate, and orientation as a slap-and-run hitter takes away what little power he may have had in his approach. Power projection will predominantly be gap-to-gap doubles with little likelihood of much over-the-fence pop even as he ages.

Good glove man with soft hands and feel for the shortstop position despite being undersized for it; plenty of room to continue to improve the nuances of his game on defense with a very good foundation on which to build. Moves in on the ball very well and shows good range side to side at shortstop; arm lags behind a bit (more below), but glove is sure here and Ramon Bramasco is a natural team leader at the position with competitiveness, intensity, situational awareness, a sound fundamental base, etc… I like him a lot as a future second baseman, or a platoon/utility man, against better competition; he’s the best defender on a good Cerritos College team now and so he’s playing out of position at the most critical spot to take advantage of his glove.

Arm strength is well below-average with a lack of velocity and carry needed to make plays deep in the hole at shortstop against good runners. He seems to know this, and plays very aggressively in towards the ball to cut down throw distance and speed up his arm; very quick release at shortstop and what he lacks in arm strength he’s been able to somewhat make up for in good hands and the ability to get the ball out quickly. Arm will be a much better fit at second base against better competition.

Recorded him 4.17 seconds home to first out of the LHH box, and 4.28 seconds out of the RHH box. Jailbreak in his first few steps out of the box; lacks long stride you’d see from a taller, longer prospect, but quick feet with natural ability to turn intensity up to 100 percent and move pretty quickly. Sneaky fast; average to above-average base runner thanks to good instincts and anticipation; gets going quickly with good first step.

Listed at 5’9″, 180 lbs., has little room left to grow into his frame and while he can still add a small amount of good weight with age, he’s more or less tapped out physically and will always be undersized. Scrappy, underdog type guy; great hustle, good work ethic. Gamer who loves to play and compete; necessary traits to survive and overcompensate for lack of size. Older brother Omar Bramasco played at Long Beach City College and then in the Philadelphia Phillies‘ organization and ended up logging nearly a decade of time in pro ball in the early 2000s.

Like his older brother a decade ago, Ramon Bramasco may get an MLB Draft shot from his successful two-year junior college career at Cerritos College; ultimately, I think it’s more likely Ramon gets serious pro ball consideration in another year or two from a four-year stop after Cerritos. He’s not playing in his natural position, and he’d do well to settle into a second base gig at a four-year school next year where he can comfortably prove his defensive prowess without having to overcompensate on the left side of the infield. He’s got definite defensive chops, good athleticism, the makings of above-average speed, and just enough in the bat to survive as a bottom-of-the-order switch-hitter who can match up well; put it all together and you have an under-the-radar MLB Draft candidate with a good baseball IQ beyond his years.

Tough to imagine Ramon Bramasco as anything more than a platoon/backup second baseman or a utility infielder at the pro level; there’s little question he’ll quickly be moved off shortstop at the pro level, and any path forward for him that includes a big league ceiling will involve him coming off the bench, either in a backup role or as a utility man. Some value here in his ability to switch hit; bat needs to take a step or two forward to really be a factor, though, and for now Bramasco’s glove will be his carrying tool. MLB ETA: 2022.