Manuel eager to watch Ruf this spring
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Manuel eager to watch Ruf this spring
Bob Brookover, Inquirer Baseball Columnist
It remains to be seen who will be most impacted by the late offseason addition of right fielder Delmon Young, because that's the sort of thing that gets sorted out in spring training.
Do the Phillies carry 11 pitchers, opening the door for six infielders and six outfielders? Does it cost an outfielder a job? Does it mean Darin Ruf opens the season at triple-A Lehigh Valley, a stop he skipped on the way to the big leagues last September?
These and other answers will be revealed under the swaying palm trees of Florida's Gulf Coast when the Phillies report to Clearwater, Fla. in two weeks.
What we can tell you on a morning that had a wintery mix here in Philadelphia is that manager Charlie Manuel remains enamored with Ruf.
"We got a situation in the outfield that is going to be good, especially with Ruf," Manuel said without being asked about the power-hitting outfielder recently. "He could make it real interesting."
Those words jarred Manuel's memory from his days in Cleveland. He recalled the time when Indians general manager John Hart acquired Ruben Amaro Jr. from the Phillies in exchange for Heathcliff Slocumb.
"John Hart and I talked and we thought that Ruben and Wayne Kirby were going to be platooning in right field," Manuel said. "The only trouble was a guy by the name of Manny Ramirez came by at the age of 19 or 20 years old.
"So you get what I'm talking about with Ruf? Ruf might be ready."
It's a stretch to compare Ruf to Ramirez for a number of reasons. Ramirez was a first-round pick who was expected to become a star player and did. A year ago at this time, Ruf still wasn't on the radar as a prospect.
Ruf, a 20th-round pick in 2009, didn't reach the big leagues until the age of 25.
Regardless, it's clear that Manuel has an open mind about who will be his opening-day left fielder and that's good news for the kid who powered his way into the picture a year ago.
copper, I don't work for the Phils but, if you can get me a job, I could probably help the organization. By the way, it wouldn't be my first professional job in the wide wide world of sports. I post here because I am a lifelong Phillie fan, enjoy communicating and feel an obligation to level the playing field when necessary. I find it necessary to level the playing field on this board because of the misinformed, derogatory and abusive posts that too frequently detract from the honest writing of other Phillie fans who actually understand the game of baseball and know how to communicate in a friendly and informative way. Be careful of the labels you publicly hang on people you don't know.— onthebucks- hurts, This may come as a shock to you, but there actually are people who can analyze a player's swing, defensive abilities and interactions. Some of us have actually been paid to do this. Ruf has a long way to go before anyone can start mentioning his name and the Hall of Fame in the same sentence, but I'd cut him a break if I were you. He's going to have a nice career with the Phils.— onthebucks
- Ruf can be the game changer for the Phils hit 40 plus hrs then pronounce his last name Ruf (roof) print teashirts calling him "Babe Ruf"— Frederick2006
- Ruf did well prior to this year. Ruf's average was always decent but I guess Phills saw him only as a firstbaseman blocked by Howard. His minors record for 2012 forced his way into the conversation. Phills do need a good righthanded bat. The Delmon signing could affect him negatively. I dont see Phills playing Young anywhere but LF. With Ruf's inexperience in the outfield RF might be a stretch for him. Ruf might wind up platooning with Brown. Im not as thrilled with Charley as a hitting coach as some seem to be.— Don w
- onthebucks: When I skim the comments looking for insightful commentary, I always read yours among a handful of others. I find myself skimming and skipping more and more lately...— terrycindyian
- Still amazed that many on here including our intrepid paid professional sportswriters belittle Ruf for taking til the age of 25 to make it to the Majors! Especially more so today when compared against Manny "I never met a drug I didn't like or use" Ramirez, who made it to the Majors at age 20. Newsflash people. Ruf went to college and played ball for 4 years. He didn't languish as a career minor leaguer for YEARS as some on here including Brookover would like to make appear with his statements. He actually went to school. He can actually read his contract. Manny can't spell Manny. Funny how everybody played up Howard with his AA numbers and HRs (at the same age, no less) because he went to college too, but continue to find negatives about Ruf. He did tear up AA, he did tear up MLB during his brief trial, he did tear up the Venezualean Winter League. He tore it all up. He set new records, higher than Howard's. Give him his props. If you can hit in those 3 places you can hit, flat out hit. Don't hold it against him because of age, that's just plain stupid. So he's a 20th rounder and not a 1st. There are plenty of guys in the HOF who were drafted then or later. You don't have to be a #1 to hit HRs or make the HOF people.— Mark1npt
- Brown is also a 20th rounder by the way.
Ruf really needs to be given a consistent shot. That's what I'd like to see before I assume too much about him. I liked what I saw last year but we need to see more.
I think there's some validity to the idea that being older than most guys in AA gave him a edge and also to the scouting reports that show some of the weaknesses he has against breaking balls. But I sawy give him a chance to prove he's for real.
What you see with him that really stands out is that compact swing for a big guy. Very encouraging when you watch that.— s - terrycindyian, Thanks for the nice words.— onthebucks
- mark, Very well said.— onthebucks
- The Truth Hurts and so do his posts. Change your name to, "This Post Hurts".— rockinrob
- @bucks, thanks...you too. Ignore the troublemakers on here. I don't even respond or answer them anymore.— Mark1npt
- to paraphrase reggie j ('all owners are sh##; charlie finley happens to be very big sh##'): all gms and mgrs are liars; ruben and charlie happen to be - well, you get it. amazes me how people here will believe one or the other or both, considering how much and often they lie and get caught out. brookover does it coz it's his job and he's very much a 'ladies auxiliary' guy. but so many of you hard-nosed philly posters? ah, we do so want to believe, eh. me, i too want to believe - in ruf as the real deal who will get a gen-u-ine shot this year. but when charlie says it, i have to shudder.— bubba church & granny hamner
- That little review of history explains why Amaro made no effort to sign Manny this off season despite his stellar play in winter ball. Amaro is carrying a grudge that goes back over 20 years to when Manny Ram made Amaro a spectator in Cleveland and Ruben has pretty much been a spectator ever since.— Claudio Vernight
- @s....agreed, but I didn't see any problem with breaking balls during his call up that concerned me. You put up the numbers he did in 3 different leagues last year and you gotta be hitting a few breaking balls. Some players just mature and find their swing at a certain point in their careers even if they weren't on the scouts radar screen the year before. Doesn't mean they're not legit. APujols came out of nowhere in A and AA to break onto the MLB scene. Players do it all the time. Scouts and GMs are wrong all the time. I've even made a few mistakes too. But I don't think I'm wrong on Ruf. His swing just seems so right.— Mark1npt
- Here's one the pieces that looks at his potential problems:
http://crashburnalley.com/2012/10/05/truth-and-darin-ruf/
Not trying to rain on the Ruf parade here but just keep it real. He's had no AAA AB's ever and has had 33 major league AB's. The hard part for him is going to be if he does get the regular major league AB's they'll have the book on him by midseason or so. This is why he needs to play a bit before we annoint him to the HOF.
I think his compact swing compensates for other potential flaws but we'll see. I also have no idea if he can really play LF but I'm much more positive on that than the guy who wrote the piece above is. If it were me (and as I've said, help us all if it ever is) I'd be giving him some reps at 1B as well. Howard can rest once in a while and the world won't end (well maybe Charlie's world will). Howard has also been a good PH so it's not like he has no role if Ruf gets a 1B start here and there.— s
