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Keibert Ruiz, C
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Scouting report
Ruiz is a slow-twitch, skills-over-tools catcher who projects to be a good everyday player. He has much better feel for contact than all but a few players in the minors, let alone the catchers. It has allowed Ruiz to get away with an overly-expansive approach. He swings at far too many pitches outside the zone, but he is so often able to get the barrel there that it hasn't mattered, and he's a .299 career hitter in spite of this. While Ruiz makes remarkably consistent contact, it's not all that hard, and he's unlikely to hit for more than doubles power in the big leagues. But I think even a one-dimensional, contact-only offensive profile like Keibert's is enough to catch everyday, and while I consider him a capable defender, it's worth noting that some clubs do not. Ruiz has baby soft hands and is a great pitch-framer and receiver, but he's a casual, low-effort ball-blocker who'd much rather rely on his hands to pick balls in the dirt than be mobile and throw his body in front of the baseball. I think his hands are so good that he'll get away with this, but others think it impacts his pitchers' conviction in throwing breaking balls that finish in the dirt. Arm-wise, Ruiz's slow exchange drags his pop times down, but he's very accurate and I'm starting to think that so long as one has sufficient arm strength, accuracy might matter more than the pop time. But again, this is not a universally-held belief. I've got an everyday grade on Ruiz, but unless the Dodgers want to carry three catchers, I think he is the odd man out and a potential trade centerpiece this offseason. (Alternate site, MLB)