Tim Rogers
The Dodgers called up switch-hitting catcher Keibert Ruiz on August 15 with a targeted debut on the following day.. According to both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline Ruiz is the Dodgers 3rd ranked prospect.
Dave Roberts: Keibert Ruiz will get his first Major League start tomorrow.
— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) August 16, 2020
The 2017 season was pivotal as he was just nineteen years old. He started the season at Great Lakes (full season A) but earned a promotion fo high-A ball with the Quakes by July. He showed that he as a very advanced hitter for his age which got him to AA in 2018. As one of the youngest players that season he had is struggles but only struck out 33 times in 337 at bats.
From an article I wrote for Dodgers Nation in November of 2018:
…when I saw him on the MLB Network in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) All-Star game I saw a smooth handler of pitches and some good approaches at the plate. On the offensive side, Drew Saylor spoke of his cleanness of the swing with a bat/ball approach resembling Victor Martinez (a hero of Ruiz – both switch hitters). Defensively, Saylor spoke of his soft hands, tools and baseball intelligence.
2019 Disappointment
This is all my speculation based on my observations, the Dodgers decided to hold back some prospects by having them repeat some levels. My guess it was due to having too stacked of a farm system. 2019 was the worst of Keibert’s career as he got off to a tough start. In late July he finally got the call up to AAA and started off well. However, after just 9 games he suffered a hand injury and his season was over.
After the 2018 MLB Pipeline had Ruiz as the number 39th prospect in baseball but he has dropped down to 79th. Will Smith had passed him in the Dodgers organization and established himself as a Major League catcher.
Thanks to his feel for the barrel and disciplined approach, Ruiz excels at making contact from both sides of the plate. He shows much more pop as a lefty hitter, with just two of his 29 homers in his first five pro seasons coming as a righty. He has solid raw power but won’t fully tap into it until he becomes more selective hunting pitches he can drive.
Ruiz has the tools to be at least a solid defender but has some lapses behind the plate. He’s agile, possesses soft hands and frames the ball well, but his receiving can get lackadaisical. He can flash solid arm strength but his accuracy wavers at times, and he threw out just 23 percent of basestealers in his first three years of full-season ball. – MLB Pipeline
Now, Keibert Ruiz gets his chance as Will Smith is injured. He’ll have a few games to make his mark but it should be fun to watch.
You can follow Keibert on Twitter (@KeibertRuiz) and Instagram (@keibert_ruiz). All the best to Keibert Ruiz.
