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Keibert Ruiz

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Keibert Ruiz
Ruiz with the Washington Nationals in 2022
Washington Nationals – No. 20
Catcher
Born: (1998-07-20) July 20, 1998 (age 26)
Valencia, Venezuela
Bats: Switch
Throws: Right
MLB debut
August 16, 2020, for the Los Angeles Dodgers
MLB statistics
(through September 1, 2024)
Batting average.246
Home runs41
Runs batted in165
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Keibert Jose Ruiz (born July 20, 1998) is a Venezuelan professional baseball catcher for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Career

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Los Angeles Dodgers

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Ruiz was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an international free agent in 2014 for $140,000.[1] He made his professional debut with the Dominican Summer League Dodgers in 2015 and spent the whole season there, batting .300 with one home run, 19 RBIs, and eight doubles in 44 games. He spent 2016 with both the Arizona League Dodgers and the Ogden Raptors where he posted a combined .374 batting average with two home runs, 48 RBIs, a .412 OBP and a .939 OPS in 56 total games between both teams. In 2017, he began the year with the Great Lakes Loons where he was selected to the Midwest League mid-season All-Star Team[2] and was then promoted to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes of the California League.[3] The Dodgers selected him as their Minor League Player of the Year for 2017[4] after he hit .316 with eight home runs and 51 RBIs in 101 games between Great Lakes and Rancho Cucamonga.[5]

Ruiz at the 2018 All-Star Futures Game

Ruiz was promoted to the Double-A Tulsa Drillers for the 2018 season and was selected to represent them at the mid-season Texas League All-Star Game.[6] He was also selected to the "world" team at the All-Star Futures Game[7] and to the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars game.[8] In 101 games for Tulsa, he hit .268 with 12 home runs and 47 RBIs.[9] The Dodgers added him to their 40-man roster after the 2018 season.[10]

Ruiz began 2019 with Tulsa.[11] He was selected to the mid-season Texas League All-Star Game.[12] Ruiz was promoted to the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers in July.[13] However, he suffered a broken finger in early August that ended his season prematurely.[14] Between the two levels, he hit .261 with six homers and 34 RBI in 85 games in 2019.[5]

Ruiz was called up to the Majors for the first time on August 15, 2020[15] and made his MLB debut the following day as the starting catcher against the Los Angeles Angels.[16] He hit a home run in his first at-bat, against Julio Teherán of the Angels.[17] He appeared in only two games during the pandemic shortened 2020 season, with two hits in eight at-bats.[18] Ruiz was on the Dodgers roster for the 2020 National League Wild Card Series but did not appear in a game. He was left off the roster for the 2020 National League Division Series.[19]

In 2021, Ruiz appeared in six games for the Dodgers, with one hit (a home run) in seven at-bats.[18] With Oklahoma City, he hit .311 in 52 games with 16 homers and 45 RBI.[5]

Washington Nationals

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On July 30, 2021, the Dodgers traded Ruiz, Josiah Gray, Donovan Casey, and Gerardo Carrillo to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Trea Turner and Max Scherzer.[20] Ruiz homered in his debut as a member of the Nationals organization on August 3, 2021, for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings.[21] Ruiz was called back up to the Majors on August 30 and made his Nationals debut the same day, going 1-4 against the Philadelphia Phillies. He would finish the season with a .272/.333/.409 slash line with 3 home runs in 96 plate appearances at the MLB level with the Dodgers and the Nationals.

On March 11, 2023, the Nationals announced that Ruiz had signed an eight-year contract extension. The contract, reportedly worth $50 million, ran through 2030, covering his last five seasons of club control and first three years of free agency, and included one-year club options for 2031 and 2032.[22]

Personal life

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Ruiz is married to Ryena and the couple has one son named Keibert Jr. [23]

Awards and highlights

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References

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  1. ^ Tunney, Brad (March 20, 2017). "Loons Eye Dodgers Top 30 Prospects". Great Lakes Loons. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  2. ^ Stephen, Eric (June 8, 2017). "Dustin May, Keibert Ruiz named to Midwest League All-Star team". SB Nation. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  3. ^ Jackson, Josh (July 17, 2017). "Cal notes: Quakes' Ruiz shakes up South scene". milb.com. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  4. ^ Stephen, Eric (August 23, 2017). "Walker Buehler, Keibert Ruiz named Dodgers minor league players of the year". SB Nation. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c "Keibert Ruiz Minor League Statistics & History". Baseball Reference.
  6. ^ Lewis, Barry (June 13, 2018). "Five Drillers selected for Texas League All-Star Game". Tulsa World. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  7. ^ Callis, Jim (July 6, 2018). "Futures Game rosters packed with prospects". mlb.com. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  8. ^ Callis, Jim (October 29, 2018). "Vlad Jr., Whitley highlight Fall Stars Game rosters". mlb.com. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  9. ^ "Keibert Ruiz Stats, Highlights, Bio - MiLB.com Stats - The Official Site of Minor League Baseball". MiLB.com. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  10. ^ Gurnick, Ken (November 20, 2018). "Prospect Ruiz among 5 added to 40-man roster". mlb.com. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  11. ^ "Gavin Lux, Dustin May & Keibert Ruiz Headline Double-A Tulsa 2019 Opening Day Roster". Dodger Blue. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  12. ^ Tulsa Drillers (June 13, 2019). "Top Prospects Named to Rosters for ONEOK Field All-Star Game". milb.com. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  13. ^ Williams, Blake (July 21, 2019). "Dodgers News: Top Prospect Keibert Ruiz Promoted to AAA". Dodgers Nation. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  14. ^ Harris, Jack (August 5, 2019). "Dodgers' Rich Hill could be a bullpen option in the playoff". LA Times. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  15. ^ Stephen, Eric (August 15, 2020). "Dodgers place Will Smith on injured list, recall Keibert Ruiz". SB Nation. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  16. ^ Harris, Blake (August 16, 2020). "What to expect ahead of Keibert Ruiz's debut". SB Nation. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  17. ^ Gurnick, Ken (August 16, 2020). "Ruiz homers in 1st career AB, Dodgers sweep". MLB.com. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
  18. ^ a b "Keibert Ruiz Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Rookie Status & More". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 28, 2024.
  19. ^ Plunkett, Bill (October 6, 2020). "Dodgers' NLDS roster – Gavin Lux, Dylan Floro in; Edwin Rios, Keibert Ruiz out". Orange County Register. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
  20. ^ Toribio, Juan (July 30, 2021). "Dodgers complete blockbuster for Max, Trea". mlb.com. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  21. ^ @MLBPipeline (August 4, 2021). "In his first game as the @Nationals' No. 1 prospect following the trade from the Dodgers, Keibert Ruiz blasts off f…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ^ Camerato, Jessica (March 11, 2023). "Ruiz, Nationals Agree to Eight-Year Contract". MLB.com. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  23. ^ "Keibert Ruiz Stats, Age, Position, Height, Weight, Fantasy & News". MLB.com. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
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