Heliot Ramos’ Journey to San Francisco and Becoming an All-Star

Heliot Ramos’ Journey to San Francisco and Becoming an All-Star

Well, we’re thrilled to be joined by Elliot Ramos, 2024 all-star for the San Francisco Giants. And Elliot, let let’s go back and start in Puerto Rico. You’re a kid. You got an older brother who’s also played in the big leagues. Um, I got a couple older brothers. I know what it’s like. You follow him around. So, I have this picture of you following your older brother around to all his practices and just kind of thinking that uh he’s pretty cool. Is that kind of how it went? Yeah. I mean, it was definitely exactly how it went. Uh, he even took me to spring training games. Uh, I was, uh, he was in high A with the Red Sox in, uh, Salem, uh, was it Salem, Virginia, and I stayed there for a month with him. Yeah. I didn’t want to go back home. And my mom was like, “No.” So, how old are you at this point? I was like 13. 14. Yeah. So, my like he took me and I was having a blast. Uh, the team would let me shag. Obviously, I would hit in the cage from time to time, but Wow. I didn’t want to like be in mix like that. You know what I’m saying? Uh I think I got to meet Muki at that time when he was coming up. And it was cool, man. He was fun. It was uh such a great experience. My mom had to go to Virginia to get me because I didn’t want to come back. You weren’t going back. Yeah. And school was about to start. So I’m like, I don’t know. I might stay here. So, did that I mean obviously when you’re experiencing all that that had to make you want to do what he’s doing and and did he push you at all even though he was seven years older than you? I mean he didn’t really push me. I always wanted it. I was always with him. I was always like going to the gym. I wouldn’t hit the gym like he did cuz I was younger. But I would like shag. Uh he he would let me hit only one round at the end of the practice. But he wanted me to learn how to how it is to be accountable, how it is to like just go out there and shag and just be there. And how often do you speak with him now? I know he’s still playing. From time to time, almost like at least once a week at least. I text him, maybe he calls me. Sometimes he needs some stuff for the kids. Like we have a HR14 academy. He has one. He started it over there in Florida. And he’s growing now. He’s he has a developing camp and all that. So sometimes I help him with that. And uh and he always called me to I mean he always text me today. He text me. He’s like, “Hey, how you feeling at the play?” And I’m like, “I’m a little rushed. I feel late, but I think I got it.” Like I think I just got to get in rhythm and that’s it. Now is there another sport in your family? Did I hear that on the telecast? Soccer. Soccer. Correct. Tell us about that. So I all I did growing up was playing soccer. Really? Yeah. Uh that my hometown was like really good at that. Like they were they could play. Obviously it’s not like Europe or like anything like that. But uh we was always super athletic. I was I was always I was skinnier so I could fly. And I was just all over the place. Uh my brother, my older brother, not Henry, my other brother, he played with the national team and he’s the all-time scorer for the national team in Puerto Rico. So he was an athlete. He was great at basketball. He could throw 90, but his shoulder gave up on him. So he couldn’t play baseball. He loved Pedro Martinez. That was his guy. So with all that going on, who was your favorite baseball player growing up? Growing up, uh man, I I want to say Andrew McCutchen, but I had a couple like Carlos Bertran was one of them. My me and my brother like followed him a lot. Mhm. Um, who else? Uh, uh, believe it or not, I love David Ortiz. The way he plays a lefty, but I love the way he plays. Obviously, he can hit. Sure. He used to hit, so I love his game. So, moving ahead, you get picked number one by the Giants. Obviously, a big thrill. Head to the minor leagues as a very young person, right? So, that’s not easy. tell us some of the the the trials and tribulations that you have in the minor leagues, really for any player, but specifically for somebody as young as you were when you went there. It was tough because uh at the beginning I just felt like my talent was taken off like was taking like what’s making up for it, but I was like kind of like up in the air mentally if that makes sense. I I didn’t have a lot of like uh professional experience and all that like and then whenever I hit I was 18 and I skipped uh short season Kaiser is it right? Y so I went to Augusta that was at lowe for us 140 games 130 games something like that and I was 18 I never played that many games in my life uh I started hot the first month and then I just it just went downhill from there and I didn’t know how to get back to it. I was just out there going out there and just uh competing battling. I always love to compete. I always love to be out there, but I honestly didn’t know what I was doing mentally. Now, how was it was it difficult to being in the United States full-time? I mean, was that an issue at all? Of course, the first time. Yeah. All I knew was my mom, my dad, and my brothers. And I I used to go to tryyous in the United States and all that, but it’s not the same. Yeah. Uh I’m here full-time. Um I mean, I had to like find an apartment on my own. I had to like like buy food if I had to buy food in the mornings. And I mean it was a challenge that I had to learn for sure. Uh I think I like learned that after 2020 uh the co covid year. Yeah. It was a really like uh it was a lot a lot of mental for me at that point. And after that it was like yeah I have to I have to get better. Then 2021 was okay. 22 tough season I had in the minor leagues. But then I was like I can’t be worrying about the outside noise if that makes sense. I have to worry about me and my family and and what’s around me. So, you see all the all the ups and downs you had, especially in the minor leagues. How hard is it to keep your confidence up? Oh, man. I had no confidence at all. Like, really? Yeah. It was tough. So, that’s a that’s a fight for you, right? That’s a battle at that age. Yeah. And mental mentally, it’s just like I don’t know how I don’t know how how to make that uh how to get out of that if that makes sense. It it was a it was a moment where I had to like battle and just keep competing because that’s all I knew, compete. So then you finally it all comes together. Last year you get your opportunity u you end up being an all-star. Did you feel like it was I mean at that point had some confidence come. Did you feel like just give me an opportunity and I can take advantage of this which you obviously did? Yeah. Yeah. After 23 after 2023 uh I was starting mentally I was having more confident. I was like I can hit the ball 12 fields like I just need a good approach and that’s it. I just I want to dominate. It doesn’t matter where I’m at. I want to dominate. I want to I want to be the guy, but I want to be the greatest. I want to be good. So, I had the oblique in 23. I was out I was on the 60-day IIL. Then when I came back, I was uh I was focused. I was determined to just be me, just go ball out and and stay in and stay present. And in 23, I felt like I was ready. The up the ups and downs, it never bothered me. At the beginning, yeah, I was 22. I was young and I was like like damn, like how I’m not how I’m not staying in the beagles. I didn’t understand that there’s guys that are in front of you. You just need an opportunity and it’s not because they don’t want to give it to you. It’s just because like the guys that are in front of you, they earn to be there. They earn to be in the leagues. And you know what’s really interesting is is you’ve talked so much about the mental part of it and everybody says baseball’s a mental game. If you’re not mentally tough, you’re not going to make it. So the the talent is there and I think you can say that about a lot of guys, but can they handle the mental part of the game and and listening to what you’re saying is a perfect example. You were able to fight through it and then get a hold of being a little bit more mentally strong and now you’re an all-star. Yeah. There there there can be people around you that like can help you and tell you like tips, tell you this. Like no disrespect, but even Barry Bonds, he can tell you he’s the greatest and he can tell you anything. But at the end of the day, it’s you who has to make the adjustment. It’s you who has to be strong mentally and go out there and like and be the greatest because that’s some guys are cocky and people say, “Oh, no, he’s too cocky.” But it’s like that’s how you got to be in this game. Even if you go 0 for 50, like you have to stay cocky in a good way, if that makes sense. Sure. Sure. You don’t you don’t want to be arrogant, of course, but at the end of the day, the confident if the confident is there, I feel like you’re going to be great. So, you make the All-Star team. I mean, that’s that’s pretty awesome. Tell them tell us what it was like to walk in the locker room at the All-Star game looking for your locker. Who are you next to? I mean, that had to be quite an experience. Yeah, it was insane. I was right next to Brian Reynolds and Ronaldo Lopez, deputy for the Braves. But I talked to Brian Reynolds. Cool guy. Super quiet. It was great to be around great. I mean, you see Joy Otani, you see like Chris Cell, you see Freddy Freeman, you see I mean, even Paul Skins, he had a great year. Like, you see guys like that and it’s like these are guys that like they earned it and they they got it like that and that’s why they’re here. Did you have to catch yourself a little bit being in awe looking around and seeing all these guys? Yeah, a little bit. I mean, it’s it’s impressive. And then my whole life watching the home run derby and I got to watch it right there in front of my eyes. So, it’s like it’s something cool. Be careful. They may ask you. Oh, I’m ready. So, you made history last year in kind of a fun way. First right-handed hitter, hit one on the fly into McCovby Co. very difficult to do. Obviously, you’re the only one who has done it. Uh, did you did you did you kind of realize that this is a pretty big deal because everybody was talking about it? I mean, yeah, I realized it. I knew I knew they had the count and if they had the count up there in the wall, that means that like that means that it’s a pretty pretty big deal. Not even lefties can do it often. So, it’s like for me to do it and for me to like be the first one like I always had it in my mind. Obviously, I wasn’t trying to do it. Sure. But I always knew that no right-handed hitter could like never did it. Like never made it. I know they talk about Buster Posy Posy doing it and all that, but I mean it’s it’s a great moment. And at that time, Roto Clemente, it’s like Yeah. It doesn’t get any better than that. Yeah, it doesn’t. But you know what? I mean, I remember seeing highlights of you three, four years ago in the minor leagues and a lot of your home runs were to right field and we’ve seen it now. You have great power to right field. Have you always had that? I mean, you’re a strong guy, but to be able to go out the other way, since I was since I was a kid. Yeah. Like, yeah. I always had a scout like on my when I was like 16. Uh, I hit a ball like there was no trackman, but I hit a ball hard to right field. And the scout told me like, I never seen a guy like a kid, a 16-year-old hit the ball that hard that way. A lot of people told me pull the ball. If you don’t, like if you hit the ball the other way, you’re not going to hit homers. They think it’s just a slap hitter. And I’m like, no. like my approach is my approach and now I learned that now and I’m like I want to get it better and I want to make it better. What do you like most about playing at Oracle Park? The views are great. The fans are amazing. I love the fans. Uh they’re always showing up. They’re always uh there for us. I think it’s the best park in the in the big leagues for sure. Yeah. And they like you out in left field, too. That’s So, we got some some baseball uniform questions for you that I want to ask you. Pant legs up, pant legs down. How do you decide? Because I’ve seen you do both. I don’t know. Last year I was a lot of pants up most of the year. That was an all-star year. Yeah, I felt comfortable. So, uh I don’t know. I just like it. I just just whatever makes me feel comfortable. Uh I feel like some days I don’t want to be too tied up, so I just use the high pants. Some days I just want to be long pants and feel comfortable. I don’t know. It’s just a mental thing. What about the cleats? It depends on the uniform, for sure. So you see what are we wearing? Are we wearing city connects? Are we wearing the orange tops? And you base your cleat decision on that. Yeah, that’s how I base my cleat decision on that. Yeah. What about bat color? I’ve seen you use some different color bats or not so much. Not so much. I always go like uh let’s say B handle burgundy and like all like uh like that natural color on the top or if not go all gray. So what? Those are my goto. It’s just that’s just what you like. Yeah, those are my go-to. Yeah. Do you have any any uniform superstitions? I know baseball players can be a little superstitious. This is my leggings and my socks. Just I always use the same thing. Obviously, it’s not like I keep them dirty. Like that’s nasty, but but I do but I do like wear the same leggings, the same socks. Yeah. Yeah. So, tell us about the addition of Willie Adamus. We talk a lot about what he means to not just the team on the field, but what he means in the clubhouse. And are you starting to get a a feel for how important he is? Yeah, I mean obviously he’s a great player. Like no question about it. But the type of person that he is, it’s like that’s a guy that you need in your clubhouse. That’s a guy that you want to have in your clubhouse. Like he’s a great person. He shows up for us. Like American, Hispanics, uh Korean, it don’t matter who you are. Like he shows up, he’s there. Like he’s great with everybody. Uh the type of person that he is, he’s super genuine. And and you don’t see that a lot nowadays. Like a lot of people, I feel like a lot of people fake it, if that makes sense. uh they want to be good, but it’s hard for them to be like a good person, if that makes sense. But I feel like we have a pretty good uh genuine group around us. Everybody like supports each other. Everybody push each other. And Willie is like one of those guys. He fits he fits in like perfectly. How much do you enjoy uh the city? Do you live in the city? Is that is that Or do you live outside the city? I was living in the canyon. Uh the canyon uh it was right behind the stadium. Yeah. I like the city. Uh the food is great. Uh I love the city. There’s a lot of things there. has a couple things to do. So, I mean, you know, you could see this this being your spot for a long time, right? I mean, you were drafted by the Giants. You you’re an all-star with the Giants. I mean, this has got the makings of let’s make Elliot Ramos a Giant for a long time. No, I’ve seen I’ve seen the Giants for like seven years now. Uh I’ve seen so many different people coming in and out. Like, I love I love being here. I love the people around me. I love like the coaches, of course. uh is an organization that gave me the opportunity and gave my family an opportunity and I mean I can’t I couldn’t ask for anything else. Well, we hope you stay for a long time. Elliot, thanks for joining us. Congratulations on your all-star year last year and uh what’s going on so far in 2025. Appreciate it. Thank you for having me. Man, for sure.

The San Francisco Giants drafted Heliot Ramos in 2017 with the 19th overall pick. At the time, Ramos was only 17 years old. His journey through the Giants minor league system was a long one, and it was not linear. But, in 2024 Heliot Ramos became a National League All-Star. Glen Kuiper sat down with Helliot to talk about his young baseball career and he reacts to Willy Adames joining the Giants clubhouse in 2025.

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