He leads all of minor league baseball in homeruns, is 3rd in OPS, and is close to cracking the top 10 in RBI. He's done all this in the Double-A Eastern League that is regarded as having very fair parks (not hitter friendly like the Texas League or Pacific Coast League). Ruf is not considered a "prospect" because he lacks "tools". Tools are great, they helped build Noah's ark, but I could give two squirts of pee about tools when it comes to players, just as long as they produce. I'm not stupid, I understand that toolsy prospects have a higher ceiling than non-toolsy guys like Tyler Cloyd or Darin Ruf. However, it sucks that they get pushed aside because of this. You don't know what you have until you test it out. In other words, give the dude a shot. Maybe that's what the Phillies have in mind, since Ruf has recently been moved to left field, a position that isn't blocked at the MLB level like his old position of 1st base is (Ryan Howard).
Seems to me that the Phillies have been best served by non-prospects over the past few years. Hyped guys like Carlos Carrasco, Kyle Drabek, Jason Donald, Lou Marson, etc. haven't done too well at the MLB level. Remember Domonic Brown was one of the best prospects in the game prior to 2011. Oh my, how his stock has fallen. Then there are the under-the-radar minor leaguers that have come up and contributed to the Phils run of success- Kyle Kendrick, Vance Worley, Erik Kratz, Chris Coste, John Mayberry Jr., and I'm probably missing a few.
8 comments:
I didn't mean that as a dis on Dom. Just he hasn't lived up to the hype. Wish he would have turned out more on the Mike Trout side rather than the Matt LaPorta.
Yeah give him a shot/looksie this coming month. A few starts in Lf and maybe a couple at first. Then he can goto Afl and spring training. He could be a bench player in majors or he may continue success and be a starter. 28 is a players usual prime and continues to age 30. At that point the player learns to adjust and become a better player or fades away outtasight.
Ruf is 26, so he's not young. Plenty on players have had huge years in the minors and never done crap in the majors, but Ruf just seems like a very good hitter...something the Phils need.
agreed
Ruf did it again. Hit #36 and knocked in #96 last night- .317/1.030 overall. Amazing!
18 Hrs in August - that is huge!
Cody Ashe (3B) is having a great year too 301/10/43 - 4 hrs in last ten games.
This years Reading team could have quite a few Phillies players come a year or two from now
There seems to be a Phillie-Nebraska connection... Darin Ruf and Tyler Cloyd are both from Omaha, and Cody Ashe went to the University of Nebraska. Hell, it worked out for them in the past with Richie Ashburn, so give these guys a shot!!
Omaha, Nebraska...think that's where the band 311 is from.
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