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Esteury Ruiz
#1 · May 14, 2022, 7:58 am
Time for his own thread 🙂
From today's DFR ...
As far as breakout seasons go, outfielder Esteury Ruiz has been the breakout star of the Padres’ system over the first 30 games. The athletic outfielder added three more hits to his ledger and he stole a pair of bases to give him 22 on the season. Ruiz’s on-base prowess has been amazing; he has reached safely in all 31 games he’s played this season. Ruiz ranks sixth in the Texas League with a 1.079 OPS and his 22 stolen bases lead the league.
#2 · May 15, 2022, 11:22 pm
He's doing it with a line drive rate of over 36%, which might not be sustainable but certainly if he stays away from his previous ground ball rate in the 40%, he should be fine. His BAPIP is also probably unsustainable at 414 as well as his wRC+ of over 180. However, a lot of good things happening with the walk rate and K rate. The former is almost double (17.6%) his minor league career average, while his K rate (18.3%) is the lowest it's been since he broke in with KC in 2016. I believe these stats show the maturity factor plus a changed approach which could lead to that promotion to El Paso in the near future. He's also is playing a decent CF. I make it a point to watch all his AB's on MiLB and he's a much different (and better) hitter than I remember seeing at Lake Elsinore in 2019.
Too early to dream on, but with Abrams and/or Ruiz at the top of the line-up could wreak havoc on the bases and put a lot of pressure on an opponents pitching staff. Please note that Abrams has struggled the last few days at El Paso after getting off to a red-hot start - shows he still needs more exposure to higher level pitching to succeed on a regular basis. If Grisham continues to fail to meet expectations and realize his potential it might come sooner than later.
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LynchMob
#3 · May 19, 2022, 6:42 am
From today's DFR ...
As many of us at MadFriars have pointed out the last few weeks, our biggest miss on the season might be how low we ranked center fielder Esteury Ruiz. We were all high on him after he posted a .997 OPS in the AZL in 2017. But after a few ho-hum years, we knew the talent was there but the likelihood of reaching that talent was dimming. This year, he has become the Double-A equivalent of Juan Soto. In the first month-and-a-half, Ruiz is hitting .354 (fourth in the league 0.04 from first), second in OBP with a truly ridiculous .503, and he is in the top ten in both slugging and OPS while leading the league in stolen bases and runs scored. Ruiz has quickly moved from “it’s a nice hot streak to start the season,” to “glad he is finally showing that talent we saw a few years ago,” to now “we should probably start working on our midseason rewrite and move Ruiz into the top-ten”
#4 · June 8, 2022, 12:11 pm
From today's DFR ...
Esteury Ruiz went hitless in his Triple-A debut, but collected a pair of walks and scored a run. The 23-year-old hit in the seven-hole after leading off most of the year for San Antonio.
#5 · June 16, 2022, 8:32 am
From today's DFR ...
Every daily feels like a tribute to Esteury Ruiz, and for good reason. In eight games with El Paso, he has put together a seven-game hitting streak and four straight multi-hit games. After a quiet night in the stolen base department on Tuesday, he stole three more Wednesday to keep the minor-league lead with 44. The seven bases he has already stolen for El Paso now put in the top 30 in the PCL.
#6 · June 16, 2022, 9:36 am
He was the best player (MVP) at 17yrs old in his league... Then he was ok with a ton of SO and got dropped from out top 30...Now he has completely changed his approach and might be the best player of 2022 in the Minors ..the entire Minors... It sounds crazy but he looks like Ricky Henderson type to me at this moment... If he finishes 2022 anywhere near where he is so far AA/AAA he needs to get his shot at CF/LF in ST 2023... He is hitting like France did at 24yrs old ..at 23..with higher BA/OBP and SLG than France and we know how the former SDSU Aztec turned out... Give RUIZ a shot!
#7 · June 16, 2022, 7:08 pm
This is getting RIDICULOUS... Estury after 3innings 2 for 2 2 more SB now hitting .500 with an OBP .600+ and an OPS of 1500+... The Minors are no longer a challenge for this kid... I dont know if AAA is where he should be anymore... bring him up to San Diego and let him get at least Azocar's ABs and field time and if he still makes the game look silly then he plays everyday...wow just wow
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LynchMob
#8 · June 17, 2022, 7:52 am
As it is he should have Alcantaras roster spot but he's here because of his infield versatility.
I don't think they will swap him out with Azocar at this point?
#9 · June 17, 2022, 11:43 am
Quote from Henry Silvestre on June 16, 2022, 7:08 pmThis is getting RIDICULOUS... Estury after 3innings 2 for 2 2 more SB now hitting .500 with an OBP .600+ and an OPS of 1500+... The Minors are no longer a challenge for this kid... I dont know if AAA is where he should be anymore... bring him up to San Diego and let him get at least Azocar's ABs and field time and if he still makes the game look silly then he plays everyday...wow just wow
100% with you ... and ... no reason not to be patient! His time in AAA is good/productive, IMO ... ie. I'd rather he get full playing time and development at AAA than only part-time with Padres ... for now ... his time will come ... time is on his side ...
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Jeremy Hill
#10 · June 18, 2022, 2:27 pm
Any CURRENT scouting report on Ruiz’ defense in the OF?
In 2022 the Padres have basically deployed him in CF (50 games) and LF (2 games) …. In 2021 that had him in CF (26 games), LF (32 games), and RF (20 games).
Now his positioning may be due in part to the defensive quality of the other OF and clearly his speed makes up for a lot at all three slots. However, Padres seem to have in 2022 designated him as a CF … but is he an asset or liability (routes, arm)?
IF he is a good CF (or adequate) that will allow Preller some flexibility around Grisham and any adds to the OF from a defensive perspective. That, in turn, will allow Abrams to stay in the INF if Cronenworth goes to 1B (if Hosmer leaves) or be a replacement for Kim as the INF / OF primary back-up / DH.