Angels prospect with famous Red Sox roots shining at World Baseball Classic

There has been a lot of excitement and action so far in the World Baseball Classic, and while there will not be a showdown between two Angels stars deciding the entire event like there was last time with Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout, they have had some players make an impact.

One unlikely name who is quickly making a name for himself is Lucas Ramirez, the son of former Boston Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez. He hit two home runs for Team Brazil in a matchup against Team USA and he also hit a home run off of Jacob deGrom in a exhibition game before the event.

Angels prospect Lucas Ramirez is turning a lot of heads in the WBC

Ramirez is just 20 years old and is not a very highly regarded prospect as he is not even among the top 30 prospects in the Angels organization. It would not be a shock if his standing gets a bit of a boost after this event though.

Ramirez homered off deGrom, Logan Webb, and Gabe Speier, three great big league pitchers so it is not as if he is doing this off teenagers in minor league camp. He did not do much in the minor leagues last season. It was his first full season in LA's system after he was drafted by the Halos in the 17th round of the 2024 MLB Draft and he slashed .266/.356/.417 with three home runs and 30 runs batted in.

Those numbers aren't awful, but they aren't going to get analysts drooling over a player's potential. Maybe the confidence boost Ramirez will get from the WBC will lead to a really strong season in the minors. He hit quite well in WBC qualifying last year, recording five hits in 13 at-bats so perhaps it is something about representing his home country that really brings the best out of him.

It cannot be easy for a young player like Ramirez when he is constantly going to be asked about his father and has to live in the shadow of his legacy. It's an unfair burden but the young Ramirez just has to try and be the best version of himself.

Ramirez is an outfielder like his father and made a positive impact in minor league camp with the Angels, so he is definitely going to be a guy to keep an eye on this season in the minors to see if he can sustain the momentum he's created in the WBC.