SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Heliot Ramos’ goal in 2021 was to reach the big leagues. It was his fifth year in the Giants’ system, and the ‘17 first-round Draft pick felt he was ready to make the jump.

However, Ramos never got the call. He split the season between Triple-A Sacramento and Double-A Richmond, while San Francisco was winning an MLB-high 107 games. A spot in the Giants’ outfield never opened for Ramos, as Mike Yastrzemski, Steven Duggar, Alex Dickerson, LaMonte Wade Jr. and Austin Slater each played more than 100 games.

Ramos should reach the Majors soon, though. The 22-year-old has a powerful swing and the arm strength to potentially be an above-average defender. And it’s clear the Giants think highly of him and his skill set, which will be on display throughout Spring Training with Ramos part of big league camp for the second consecutive year.

“He’s just as talented, as physically gifted, as anybody we have in the organization,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “He hits the balls as hard as anybody we have in the organization. He can run around center field, get good jumps -- and good jumps on the bases as well.”

Ramos, ranked as the Giants’ No. 4 prospect by MLB Pipeline, impressed in the lower levels of the Minor Leagues after getting drafted out of Leadership Christian Academy in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. He got a taste of Double-A in 2019 -- only his second full professional season -- and seemed to be on an upward trajectory.

Then, the COVID-19 pandemic arrived. Like many top prospects around baseball, Ramos didn’t get any game action in 2020, due to the canceled Minor League season. He began the ’21 campaign back with Richmond, and he felt the time away from competitive settings had impacted him.

“One hundred percent, it was a little hard to get back in the routine,” Ramos said.

If that was the case, Ramos didn’t show it. He received the Barney Nugent Award for his play in the Cactus League, then batted .314/.392/.500 in his first 22 games at Double-A. Although he didn’t keep his average that high -- hitting .237 through 62 games -- he had 10 homers, 14 doubles, 26 RBIs and a .756 OPS when he was called up to Triple-A in mid-July.

Ramos went on to play 54 games for Sacramento, batting .272/.323/.399 with four homers, 11 doubles and 30 RBIs. It was a solid year, but one that Kapler described as “up and down.” The Giants’ skipper thinks Ramos has a “higher ceiling” than he may have shown.

To take his game to another level, Ramos believes he needs to work on his patience at the plate, after he struck out 138 times in 449 at-bats in 2021. Kapler also feels the youngster could benefit from being more selective with his swings.

“I think we’ve seen some chase up and out of the zone with Heliot,” Kapler said. “I think he’s a guy that really does a nice job really smoking balls down in the zone. This is getting really specific, but I think one thing that he can do is look for balls down and go after them. I think that’s an adjustment that will serve him well.”

Although Ramos was added to the 40-man roster in November and is again with the Giants this spring, he may have a hard time making the Opening Day roster. Yastrzemski and Wade will have starting roles in the outfield, while Slater, Duggar and Darin Ruf are also competing for playing time. The Giants on Wednesday also agreed to a deal with outfielder Joc Pederson, a source told MLB.com. The club has not confirmed the deal.

But Ramos is confident early in camp and believes he has a “good chance” of making his MLB debut this season.

“I feel like I’ve been working hard,” Ramos said. “This offseason was great, this offseason was productive. So I think it’s going to be a great year, honestly. …

“I feel great. It’s good to be back. I feel good, and I feel healthy.”

And he’ll feel even better once he gets the call to the big leagues -- which he hopes happens in ’22.