Rio Ruiz

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Atlanta Braves #20 prospect in 2017
  Ruiz joined the Braves in January 2015 when he and righthanders Andrew Thurman and Mike Foltynewicz were traded from Houston for Evan Gattis. A heavily-recruited quarterback in high school, Ruiz struggled at the plate throughout most of his first season with the Braves before improving his physique and overall athleticism heading into 2016. He made the jump to Triple-A in 2016 as one of Gwinnett's youngest players and demonstrated excellent plate discipline and pitch recognition. He received his first big league callup at the end of the year. Ruiz has a smooth swing from the left side and makes good contact. He ranked fourth in the organization in RBIs (62) and has shown raw power that produces a steady stream of doubles and could generate more home runs as his body matures. His defense is a tick above-average. His hands are fringe average, but he has improved his range and the accuracy of his throws, leading to just seven errors in 2016 and an International League-leading 31 double plays turned by a third baseman. The Braves believe Ruiz has the ability to develop into a Bill Mueller type of player at the major league level. He will battle for a 25-man roster spot in 2017.
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  Ranked Atlanta Braves #17 prospect in 2016
  Ruiz was part of the haul the Braves received from the Astros when they traded Evan Gattis to Houston in January 2015. A two-sport athlete in high school who played quarterback, Ruiz was headed to Southern California before turning pro for $1.85 million in 2012 as the Astros' fourth-round pick. He developed steadily with Houston after making a mechanical adjustment to his collapsing front side at the plate, and he led the high Class A California League with 37 doubles in 2014. The Braves say Ruiz tried too hard to impress his new organization in 2015, when he hit just .211 with no home runs in the first half at Double-A Mississippi. He rebounded slightly in the second half, hitting .252/.337/.378 in 230 at-bats. Ruiz has a balanced lefthanded swing with good strike-zone judgment and solid-average raw power that has yet to translate into home-run production. He struggled against the best Double-A arms but showed signs of understanding how hurlers were setting him up in the second half. Ruiz has decent hands and an average arm at third base but needs to hone his footwork as well as his throwing accuracy. Ruiz seems destined to open 2016 back at Mississippi.
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  Ranked Houston Astros #8 prospect in 2015
  A fine high school quarterback at SoCal powerhouse Bishop Amat, Ruiz largely lost his senior season because of a knee injury and blood clot in his arm. The Astros drafted him anyway and paid him $1.85 million out of the fourth round in 2012 to bail on his Southern California commitment. He tied for the high Class A California League lead in doubles (37) in 2014. Ruiz's approach attracted the Astros in his amateur days, and he takes professional at-bats while maintaining a smooth stroke and balanced swing. He has made specific improvements to his hitting mechanics in the past year, cleaning up his collapsing front side. Ruiz's power hasn't translated to home runs yet, and scouts project average power thanks to good bat speed and his strike-zone judgment, which should allow him to become more aggressive in the future. Still somewhat raw, Ruiz lacks polished actions at third base and needs reps defensively, especially working on his backhand and being more consistent with his average arm. Ruiz doesn't have wow tools but he hits, and he fits the profile at third base. If he continues to improve the conditioning of his stocky frame, he will push Colin Moran to be the Astros' third baseman of the future. He likely will begin 2015 a level below Moran, probably at Double-A Corpus Christi.
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  Ranked Houston Astros #11 prospect in 2014
  A football and baseball star as a prep junior at Bishop Amat High, Ruiz had a senior year to forget. He missed much of the football season with a knee injury, while a blood clot in his arm forced him to miss most of the baseball season as well. The 2012 fourth-rounder proved to be surprisingly raw in 2013. Ruiz always has had a sweet, lefty swing, but he addressed mechanical flaws during his time at low Class A Quad Cities. Early in the season he was collapsing his front side in his swing, so that he'd land on the edge of his front foot, leading to an unstable base that often left him dragging the bat through the zone. Once he cleaned that up, Ruiz's tick-above-average power started to appear. Thanks to strong hands and wrists, he has above-average bat speed and should be at least an average hitter. Defensively, Ruiz has an average arm, but he had trouble fielding balls cleanly and was sometimes caught in-between hops on grounders. Scouts give him a chance to be average defensively, but he must clean up his footwork to get there. He impressed scouts with his aptitude and improvement as the season went along. Ruiz looks like a solid everyday third baseman if he can make mechanical adjustments on both sides of the ball, though the hard, fast infields at high Class A Lancaster might impede his defensive progress in 2014.
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  Ranked Houston Astros #8 prospect in 2013
  Ruiz was a high-profile prep athlete as a star quarterback and baseball player at Bishop Amat High (La Puente, Calif.), the alma mater of Michael Young and several NFL players. A sprained left knee sidelined Ruiz as a senior in football, and a blood clot in his neck that required surgery ended his baseball season in March. The Astros had scouted him extensively and believed he had the sweetest swing in the 2012 draft, so they invested a fourth-round pick and $1.85 million in him. Houston loves Ruiz's pretty swing path, track record of hitting and balance at the plate. He has powerful hands and forearms, producing homers with strength and bat speed. Some club officials project him as a plus-plus hitter with above-average power, though area scouts saw Ruiz as merely solid in both regards. He has plenty of arm strength for third base, having hit 95 mph off the mound as a junior. He's athletic with good body control and soft hands, so he should just need repetitions to become a dependable defender. He has below-average speed. As a lefthanded-hitting, Southern California third baseman with power and an easygoing demeanor, he draws comparisons to Eric Chavez. Ruiz will play alongside No. 1 overall pick Carlos Correa in low Class A in 2013.

Draft Prospects

• Ranked #98 prospect in 2012 draft
  Ruiz gained a high profile as the star quarterback for Southern California football power Bishop Amat, but a hyperextended left knee cut his senior season short. Ruiz also starred on the baseball showcase circuit last summer and generated first-round buzz early this spring, but his spring was cut short when he had surgery to remove a blood clot in his neck in March. Ruiz projects as a third baseman in pro ball, and his sure hands, good instincts and body control give him a chance to be an average to plus defender despite his lack of lateral mobility. He is a below-average runner but owns an above-average arm, and he has touched 94-95 off the mound. Scouts like Ruiz's lefthanded swing, quick hands and bat speed, but his approach needs refinement, as he has a tendency to dive out over the plate at times. He has flashed plus raw power, and he projects as an average hitter with average to plus game power.

Minor League Top Prospects

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  Ranked Florida Complex League #4 prospect in 2012
  Ruiz had a chance to go in the first round of the 2012 draft before his high school senior season ended early when he had surgery to remove a blood clot from his neck in March. After evaluating Ruiz the previous summer and fall, the Astros had strong conviction that he was one of the top players in the drat, and they backed up that belief by signing him for $1.85 million in the fourth round. Ruiz drew widespread praise for his offensive potential. He has a mature hitting approach and a pretty lefthanded swing with great bat path, which should help him hit for a high average. He presently has gap power but his quick hands and bat speed give him the potential for average to plus pop in the future. A below-average runner, Ruiz spent more time at DH than third base in the GCL. That was mostly an attempt to ease him into pro ball, as he has fine defensive instincts and body control, clean hands and a plus arm. "He DH-ed against us in the beginning and then played third base," Marlins manager Jorge Hernandez said. "I was going, ‘Wow.' He was making great backhand plays and great plays in the hole."

• December, 2012 Scouting Report
  Background: Ruiz was a high-profile prep athlete as a star quarterback and baseball player at Bishop Amat High (La Puente, Calif.), the alma mater of Michael Young and several NFL players. A sprained left knee sidelined Ruiz as a senior in football, and a blood clot in his neck that required surgery ended his baseball season in March. The Astros had scouted him extensively and believed he had the sweetest swing in the 2012 draft, so they invested a fourth-round pick and $1.85 million in him. Scouting Report: Houston loves Ruiz's pretty swing path, track record of hitting and balance at the plate. He has powerful hands and forearms, producing homers with strength and bat speed. Some club officials project him as a plus-plus hitter with above-average power, though area scouts saw Ruiz as merely solid in both regards. He has plenty of arm strength for third base, having hit 95 mph off the mound as a junior. He's athletic with good body control and soft hands, so he should just need repetitions to become a dependable defender. He has below-average speed. The Future: As a lefthanded-hitting, Southern California third baseman with power and an easygoing demeanor, he draws comparisons to Eric Chavez. Ruiz will play alongside No. 1 overall pick Carlos Correa in low Class A in 2013.