Norge Ruiz Stats & Scouting Report

IP	2.1
ERA	15.43
WHIP	3.86
BB/9	7.71
SO/9	7.71

Full name Norge Luis Ruiz
Born 03/15/1994 in Camaguey, Cuba
Profile Ht.: 5'10" / Wt.: 180 / Bats: R / Throws: R
Debut 08/19/2022

Scouting Reports

In the summer of 2013, Ruiz dazzled in front of scouts in Omaha against a U.S. college national team that included Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Michael Conforto, Alex Bregman and Bradley Zimmer, striking out 11 over 7.1 innings with one run, two walks and three hits allowed. Ruiz had just won the Serie Nacional rookie of the year award and went on to become a top starter on the Cuban national team before leaving to pursue a contract with a major league team in May 2015. Ruiz has had difficulty getting signed, standing out more in games than he does in a workout. He has excellent feel for pitching, operating off a fastball that, when he's at his best, sits 89-92 mph and touches 94 with sink and tail. He doesn't overpower hitters but mixes his stuff well and gets groundballs. He throws a plus changeup, a slider that flashes above-average but can flatten out on him and mixes in an effective splitter as well. Ruiz's smaller stature and recoil in his delivery gives some scouts concern about his durability. Ruiz made three starts for Aguilas in the Dominican League in October and November, but otherwise it's been a long layoff for him from competitive baseball. Once he signs, he should be ready for a Double-A assignment, with the upside to be a No. 4 starter.
Ruiz excelled as a two-way player in Cuba's junior national leagues, then won the Serie Nacional rookie of the year award in 2012-13. He made an impression on scouts that summer pitching in Omaha, where he had 11 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings with one run, two walks and three hits allowed against a U.S. college national team that included Kyle Schwarber, Michael Conforto, Trea Turner, Alex Bregman and Bradley Zimmer. Despite his youth, Ruiz ascended to become Cuba's best pitching prospect and top starter on the national team before leaving the country. Ruiz has average to above-average stuff across the board that plays up because his feel for pitching is well beyond his years. At his best, he sits at 89-92 mph and touches 94 mph with sink and tail. He used to pitch backward more often early in his career, and while he now pitches off his fastball more, he still has an any-pitch, any-count mentality. His best secondary pitch is his plus changeup, while he also throws an effective splitter and a slider that flashes above-average, though that pitch can flatten. Ruiz has the stuff to miss bats and get grounders, though he struggled in the second half of the 2014-15 season, posting a 4.53 ERA with a 36-25 K-BB mark in 45 2/3 innings after the break. His stuff wasn't quite as crisp or explosive early in his workouts in the Dominican Republic, which could just be from a layoff, though his small stature (despite gaining around 25 pounds since leaving Cuba) and recoil at the end of his delivery worries some scouts. If it all comes together, Ruiz has a chance to be a mid-rotation starter, with high Class A or Double-A likely his first stop after signing.