Champ or Chump: Agustin Ramirez and Chandler Simpson Fantasy Baseball Outlooks

Are Agustin Ramirez and Chandler Simpson fantasy baseball sleepers, busts, or neither? Rick takes a deep dive into their 2025 fantasy baseball values.

Prospect callups are frequently among the most exciting events in fantasy baseball, and MLB clubs have started bringing up exciting names. Marlins catcher Agustin Ramirez went 20/20 with an advanced plate approach on the farm in 2024, and he's a catcher. Sort of. His defense is atrocious, and that could be a good thing for his short-term fantasy value.

Meanwhile, you've probably already heard of Tampa Bay outfielder Chandler Simpson. He swiped 94 bases in 2023 and beat that total with 104 last year. The only question is whether he can hit MLB pitching, and all available evidence suggests he can.

What will these guys offer fantasy managers in 2025? Let's find out!

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Agustin Ramirez (C/1B, Miami Marlins)

4% Rostered

The 23-year-old was called up last night. Scouts don't love him, as evidenced by the scouting reports from FanGraphs and MiLB.com below:

These grades are on the 20-80 scouting scale, with 20 being the worst, 50 being average for MLB, and 80 being comparable to Aaron Judge's power. Ramirez's MiLB writeup describes him as a "well-below-average" runner with a "pull-heavy approach" that results in too many weak grounders.

Ramirez can't hit, run, or field, and he struggles to access his raw power in games. Why would you want him in fantasy?

The answer is that catchers stink, so we need to chase upside wherever we can find it. Ramirez might not possess loud tools, but he's produced solid lines on the farm, including a fantasy-friendly blend of power and speed.

Ramirez reached the upper levels of the minor leagues in the Yankees organization in 2023, slashing .211/.275/.313 with two homers and three steals in 139 plate appearances for Double-A (Somerset). His .253 BABIP suggested luck wasn't on his side, but a 14.2 percent swinging-strike rate called his solid 19.4 percent strikeout rate into question.

The Yankees asked Ramirez to return to Somerset in 2024, and he fared much better, hitting .289/.372/.570 with 16 homers and 13 steals across 261 PAs. His .292 BABIP still wasn't that high, but his swinging-strike rate fell to 10.8 percent, and he demonstrated an advanced approach with a 10.7 percent walk rate and 16.5 percent strikeout rate. Ramirez was caught stealing once, with a success rate of 93 percent.

The performance earned him a promotion to Triple-A (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre), where Ramirez hit .224/.328/.364 with four homers and five steals in 125 PAs. The power and speed combo were still there. The batting average drop was primarily due to a .247 BABIP. He wasn't overmatched with an 11 percent swinging-strike rate and 18.4 percent strikeout rate, and his 26.4 percent chase rate supported his 11.2 percent walk rate.

The Marlins liked what they saw, accepting Ramirez as the prospect headliner in the Jazz Chisholm Jr. deal. He reported to Triple-A (Jacksonville) and hit .262/.358/.447 with five homers and four steals over 167 PAs. His 22.2 percent strikeout rate was higher than it was as a Yankees farmhand, but his 9.9 percent swinging-strike rate was a full tick better.

A 25.4 percent chase rate supported his 11.7 percent walk rate.

Most importantly, Ramirez's .320 BABIP finally provided some evidence he could post something above .300. It's still a small sample in a hitter-friendly environment, but at least it's something.

Ramirez returned to Jacksonville this year and slashed .254/.313/.479 with three homers and five steals in 80 PAs. His .294 BABIP was decent, and his 29.7 percent chase rate supported his 8.8 percent walk rate, but his 15.8 percent swinging-strike rate and corresponding 23.8 percent strikeout rate were alarming.

Still, it was probably a small sample size blip.

We have three small samples to work with, and Ramirez went 25/22 in 553 PAs if we add them together. He doesn't have plus wheels, but he still steals bases at a high success rate with his head. Opportunities to do that will be fewer at the MLB level, but they won't dry up completely.

He also has an advanced plate approach and solid power, so 20 HRs over a full season should be doable. Ramirez's average could be a risk considering his history of low BABIPs in the minors, but his OBP should keep him in the weak Marlins lineup.

Whether he'll stick as a catcher is to be determined. Ramirez committed 10 errors and 11 passed balls last season, and opposing base thieves had a 90 percent success rate against him. The Yankees gave him reps at first base, acknowledging that his catcher defense might not work. The Marlins only used him at catcher and DH, but his weakness defensively is apparent.

For fantasy, the best case is likely Ramirez hitting enough to stay in the majors but struggling defensively. He'll play first base or DH, effectively becoming a non-catching catcher and logging more PAs than other catchers without the associated wear-and-tear.

Regardless, catchers with 20/20 potential don't grow on trees. There's risk here, but you should roll the dice on this potential Champ if you're dissatisfied with your catchers.

Chandler Simpson (OF, Tampa Bay Rays)

30% Rostered

Simpson is hitting .250/.250/.375 with a steal in his first eight MLB PAs, but the sample is too small to determine anything other than his speed being the real deal. There seems to be widespread scepticism regarding Simpson's ability to hit MLB pitching, but there shouldn't be.

Scouts rave about Simpson's feel for contact as evidenced by the scouting reports below:

FanGraphs and MiLB.com give Simpson a well-above-average hit tool, with his FanGraphs writeup specifically mentioning his "Steven Kwan/Luis Arraez territory contact metrics." He has no power but adds some slug through his "elite, game-changing speed" by stretching singles to doubles and stealing all the bases.

Simpson's MiLB performance also suggests he can hit. The now 24-year-old began last season at High-A (Bowling Green), hitting .364/.431/.372 in 147 PAs with 31 SBs against five CS for an 86 percent success rate. He also flashed a line drive stroke with a 25.5 percent line-drive rate.

His .416 BABIP was unsustainable, but his 10.2 percent walk rate nearly matched his 10.9 percent strikeout rate. Simpson's 3.7 percent swinging-strike rate was microscopic, letting him try to beat out something every time.

Simpson was promptly promoted to Double-A (Montgomery), hitting .351/.401/.407 with 73 steals in 358 PAs. He was caught stealing 12 times, repeating his 86 percent success rate. His 8.1 percent walk rate exceeded his 7.5 percent strikeout rate, which is especially impressive since Simpson is the last guy pitchers want to walk.

He even cut his swinging-strike rate to 2.6 percent against the superior competition.

Simpson also repeated his pristine batted ball profile, combining a 24.6 percent line-drive rate with a 19.5 percent fly-ball rate. Simpson doesn't have the oomph to hit homers, and he can't beat out fly balls, so he avoids them entirely. The resulting .377 BABIP was likely unsustainable, but this is definitely a high-BABIP profile.

Simpson was promoted to Triple-A (Durham) to begin 2025, and he hit .301/.325/.329 with eight steals in 78 PAs. The more advanced competition stopped walking him with a 3.8 percent walk rate, but Simpson still didn't strike out with a nine percent strikeout rate and 3.4 percent swinging-strike rate. Simpson's 26.6 percent line-drive rate and 17.2 percent fly-ball rate supported his .328 BABIP, a number he should be able to repeat at the highest level.

Simpson led off in his MLB debut against a right-handed pitcher but was dropped to ninth against a southpaw in his second game. Simpson should have an important lineup role against RHP while also playing against LHP, which is likely all fantasy managers could ask for.

Simpson came into this season with a .326/.394/.375 line as a pro, and projection systems took notice. OOPSY is the lowest projection on Simpson's average at .269, which is still 30 points better than the league average, giving Simpson plenty of chances to use his game-changing speed. ZiPS is the highest at .291, which would make him a fantasy All-Star.

Projections are inherently conservative, so this Champ has upside beyond OOPSY and even ZiPS. Simpson will also get an extended opportunity since Josh Lowe (oblique) and Richie Palacios (knee) aren't expected back until late May at the earliest, with Jonny DeLuca (shoulder) due back in mid-May and looking like a fourth outfielder at best.

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