Justin Ruggiano

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #27 prospect in 2008
  Considered a throw-in to a deal that brought Dioner Navarro and Jae Seo to Tampa Bay from the Dodgers for Toby Hall and Mark Hendrickson in mid-2006, Ruggiano put together one of the better all-around campaigns in the system last season. He was Durham's player of the year, leading the Bulls in most offensive categories, as well as an all-star in the International League, where he was the lone 20-20 player. He hit .367 with four homers in the playoffs before making his major league debut in September. Ruggiano has playable tools, and the sum ends up being greater than the individual parts. He's a hard-nosed performer with above-average speed who hits for average and some power. He'll play almost the entire 2008 season at 26, so his ceiling isn't as high as most of the players on this list, but he has the ability to be a capable fourth outfielder in the major leagues. He played all three outfield spots last season, but he fits better on a corner than he does in center. His arm is average and enough for him to play regularly in right field. While he probably will return to Triple-A to open the season, Ruggiano should get the chance to contribute in Tampa at some point.