Philadelphia Phillies: Ranking Their Best Trade Chips
By Chuck Booth
Number Five: Carlos Ruiz
To every Philadelphia Phillies fan, it would be sad to see Carlos Ruiz go but all good things come to an end and Ruiz’s tenure in Philadelphia has brought so much good to the city. But he has qualities that could be of immense value to a contending team. Those qualities don’t lie in his bat which is unusual for a trade candidate but when the catching market only has one star, Jonathan Lucroy, it’s enough to be a viable trade candidate.
At 37, Ruiz isn’t getting any younger and soon he will be surpassed by the Philadelphia Phillies young catching prospects. This year he is hitting .222/.292/.370 while mentoring Cameron Rupp and the young pitchers to take over in the future.
In Philadelphia, Ruiz has caught four no-hitters behind some of the best pitchers to ever step on a baseball mound. He’s been a steady force defensively while being an excellent game caller that pitchers can rely on.
Earlier in the season Ruiz was touted as a poor man’s Jonathan Lucroy but that’s not the proper way to quantify this. If your team needs offense from the catching position, then Lucroy is the guy. However, if a team needs an all-around leader to improve the defense and the pitching staff than Ruiz is worth taking a shot on.
The Philadelphia Phillies wouldn’t be able to expect more than a team’s 15-25th ranked prospect for Ruiz but if a team gets desperate the Phillies may be able to coax them into overpaying for Chooch.
Next: Next up, Utility Man Extraordinaire