Manuel eager to watch Ruf this spring
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Manuel eager to watch Ruf this spring
Bob Brookover
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.
Comments (52)
Have to give Ruf a legitimate shot in left, for the thirteen games he played last year you had to love his compact powerful swing. Slumps and non production come out of long swings (like Browns)that make the mechanics go haywire and are tougher to correct.— BigT- If he had played Ruf more at the end of last year it's possible he would already know but that's Charlie for you.— BCRock
- If you recall, Phil's had an outside shot at the 2nd wildcard when Ruf was called up. Injecting a kid just called up, no matter how good, is not any manager's first choice. As soon as the Phil's were eliminated, Ruf got a decent number of chances. We can argue in hindsight all day long but Cholly doesn't give up until he has to. Manuel will give the kid a shot in Spring Training this year which is what we all want to see. — vafan
- I've been certain since the end of the 2012 season that Ruf was gonna get a legit shot at the job. Nice to see Cholly agree. Sure Rube feels the same way, too.— vafan
- Is he eager to watch him sit on the bench like he did for the kid in September? Did he "earn" his right to play yet under the fake macho process? Keep the kid away from chooch too...let's keep him drug free— Friend to All
- Definitely looking forward to seeing Ruf hit ... but dreading having to watch him in the outfield. He should be fine at home (where the Phillies were able to "hide" Burrell and Ibanez in LF). Maybe they will name a BBQ place after him some day!!— Copper34
- Luxury tax or no luxury tax, the Phils had the money to spend on one of the high-priced outfielders this off-season, but they didn't. Instead, they chose to trade for Ben Revere and pay a token amount for Delmon Young. Why? Because of Darin Ruf. The Phils front office and the media can play all the games they want about who will be the Phils everyday left fielder this year but that was already decided at the end of last season when Ruf hit so many homers in Allentown that the Phils just had to see if he could hit any in Philly. He did and then he hit even more in winter ball which made the Phils quickly realize they really had something in this Ruf kid. The Phils brass undoubtedly asked themselves if it really mattered where the 30 or more homers and 90 or more RBIs came from this year, and promptly answered their own question with a smile and realization that 30 homers by Ruf was the same as 30 homers by someone else who would cost $12 to $15 million a season. I've carefully analyzed Ruf's swing and plate discipline, as well as his defensive abilities in the outfield and interactions with the other Phils. Be advised that this kid is the real deal at the plate, will become a more than adequate defensive outfielder - especially with Ben Revere playing next to him, and has his head right where it needs to be. Regardless of which player or platoon plays right field, left and center are already spoken for and won't be shared in 2013 or for the foreseeable future. I'm sure, as the title of the article suggests, Manuel is eager to watch Ruf play. We all are.— onthebucks
- Well thank God.
We can all relax now because Onthebucks has carefully analyzed this kid, and gives us all his seal of approval.
Forget spring training, let's start the season right now, and pencil this kid in for Cooperstown.
— The Truth Hurts - Well, the Truth does Hurt, doesn't it? Wow. You fit right in with the image of the negative fan in the South Philly stands. As for me, I believe that the comments of "onthebucks" were right on point. Darin Ruf had a great year at Reading and posted numbers that were reminiscent of those put forth by Mike Schmidt and Greg Luzinski when they first broke into the majors. Perhaps it took Ruf a while longer to develop his stroke. He certainly did not look over-matched in his 37 plate appearances in "The Show" last September.
I too kept an eye on the kid last season and through the winter. In Venezuela, he played a very decent left for his squad and showed consistent power. It is obvious that he is going to get a real shot at the regular job. And if D. Brown can step forward and show something at the plate that is commensurate with his minor league output (especially in 2010), then Amaro will be hailed as a genius. It certainly is time for Brown to show what he's got. This could be a very, very good outfield if the corners come through.
Would love to see more posts from onethebucks. As for you, The Truth Hurts, take a hike.— World - Thank god. Ruf and Halladay are the KEYS to the season— WFChamps
- You guys who have Ruf as your latest Tyler Cloyd crack me up. Expecially those of you who can't spell his name correctly. But woo hoo everybody's got the kid's name spelled right today. And whatever happened to Tyler Cloyd?— PhillySubsMac
- WFChamps: Couldn't agree more. Throw in the health of Howard and Utley as well.— cbanger
Note to Charlie ... please remember that Darin Ruf will occasionally strikeout. He may even (god forbid) go 0-4 in a game. He has potential, but he's not Babe Ruth. Give him a legitimate chance.
@PhillySub ... Tyler Cloyd can be a decent 4 or 5 pitcher in MLB IMO. Last year people were calling for him because we had injuries and the Phils decided to further deplete the bullpen by putting Kendrick in the rotation instead of calling up Cloyd while he was still fresh. Ultimately, they called him up after he had pitched the most innings in one year in his life. He still had a couple of terrific starts. Jury is still out on him.— zubzub- Ruf...young, cheap and has power. Something the Phils have lacked for the past 3 years. I'll be pulling for him, for sure.— scootch
- Gimmme a break with all this Ruf insanity. Dom Brown was rated as the number one prospect by Baseball America and BLAH BLAH BLAH. Dom doesnt appear to be baseball player, he might be a terrific athlete but cannot track fly balls to save his life. Brown was considered cant miss by alot of scouts yet he shown nothing at the plate and his defensive liabilities are downright scary. Now we come to Ruf, he has shown he can minor league pitching but didnt exactly tear the League up when he was called up against a lot of other Sept call ups. Jury is very much out on RUf suceeding in fact I believe him to be a looong shot to make it. Probably gonna be high strike out guy,low obp and defensive butcher in field. Phils are full of one tool players at this point, and with a team where the strength is pitching you really gotta question having so many defensive liablities. LF/Rf,3b, and the worst 1b in MLB RYan Howard. Essentially, the Phils have atleast three 1st basemen playing in the field with both YOUNGS,Ruf,and HOward. If Halladay pitches closer to Halladay of old the rotation should be solid but how many games will their defense cost them? Esp since they lose so many one run games.— Over_Exposed
- This makes me happy. Say what you will about Cholly, but he knows hitting when he sees it, and me thinks he really likes what he sees in Ruf. I agree 100%, if that's the case.— The Pack Leader
- exposed, Ruf "didn't exactly tear the league up when he was called up?" In 12 games, he had 37 plate appearances, 11 hits, 2 doubles, 1 triple,
3 homers, 10 RBIs, a .333 BA, .351 OPB, .727 slugging average, 1.079 OPS and 1.000 fielding %. Although, this is a relatively small sample size, it is statistically significant. What's more, Ruf hit the most home runs in the minor leagues last year with 38 and, before he left winter ball in Venezuala prior to the end of the season, he was on track to set a new home run record there as well. He hit 8 homers in his first 14 games in Venezuala and also another 4 homers in 2 days there. The bottom line here is that this kid is a legitimate slugger who has learned how to hit home runs wherever he goes. As far as your comment about his not tearing the league up in September, trust me - he did. What does all this mean? A lot. Ruf broke the Phillies minor league home run record last season. The guy who previously hit the most minor home runs for the Phils was Ryan Howard. The past is prologue and, just as Howard's Phillie minor league home run records presaged his success as a major league home run hitter, so too will Ruf's.— onthebucks - I am starting to think "onthebucks" also works for the Phillies ... warbiscuit -- will you please investigate these fraudsters?!?— Copper34
I just hope he doesn't platoon Ruf. I'd like to see him get a good shot at 250-300 at-bats before any judgement is made. I like this kid.— John621- Darin. Please, please, please be the real thing!— ACBaughman
- Brookover, the question is...do we GIVE a f...k what Chollie the Rhesus Monkey brained field manager who is the perennial laughing stock of the Major Leagues says, about anything?! As long as this Appalachian troglodyte continues to influence decisions and blunder along as a disastrous field manager, the Phils have no chance unless, there are zero injuries, Halliday comes back, Lee & Hamels pitch to Cy Young stats, Howard & Utley have stellar years, Papelbon, Bastardo and Adams slam the door, Young rebounds at third base and either Brown, Ruf or the other no-names explode as viable impact hitting outfielders and one of them wins the triple crown. Short of that, Cholly's imbecilic laughable moves or line up changes will sink the Phallicies into competing with the Marlins and Mets for basement honors.— daystrum
- hitting guru Magoo is a sly old dog ... there is no doubt he reads these comments, and makes public responses to try to tamp down the fires. Here's he's trying to paint himself as pro-Ruf. This could simply be propaganda. Must wait for Ruf's first 0-10 and see. Let's hope Magoo doesn't obsess on pulling the ball and change Ruf's natural power to the alleys swing.
§
— Quixote II - I hope the best for Ruf, but Ruf and Ramirez in the same sentence? Pass the Kool-Aid Charlie.— s
- PhilliesSubsMac, why the know-it-all condescending attitude all the time? Why do you continually root for failure? Ruf happens to be a great kid who deserves our best wishes and support. You are the posterboy for what ails Philly fans.— Russ
- He seems like a nice kid, but the scouting reports on him aren't exactly promising. He played a couple of years older than most of the players at his level last year, expecting him to contribute at the big league level is a real stretch (and I think the organization knows it).— Jeff Dowder
- If someone disagrees with Copper, they work for the Phillies. No exceptions.— cloudkitt
- Actually, Copper34 IS Warbiscuit. Notice how he refers to himself to back-up his negative, angry, senseless, drivel-based rants. I truly look forward to seeing some winning baseball and watching these scared, negative little whiners slink back into the darkness. — The Pack Leader
- Wayne Kirby would have made an excellent GM, but unfortunately we endednup with the other guy,— NewMick314
- 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 - Thing about Ruf is that everyone thinks he's just a power hitter. But he has also batted over .300 at every level of the minor leagues. (neither Howard nor Utley did that) And with a 386 OBP that tells me he knows how to take a walk.
Another guy who has batted well over .300 at every level of the minors ... Ben Revere.
Here's hopin that these two guys will be around for a while.— zubzub - Ruf could be a help but he will need to put up impressive offensive numbers to compensate for weak defense and lack of speed on the bases. Slowest runner I have ever seen for a 25 year old guy.— candidly
- Darrin Ruf = Greg Luzinski as Ben Revere = Garry Maddox protecting him, the right fielder has to hold his own.
The "Bull" had that great compact swing too - made him a dangerous two strike hitter - because he didn't need to shorten up - giving up power.— robinlupe - Phils fans eager to see Sandberg (or anyone else) as Phils manager— warbiscuit
- @thePackleader --no, actually, i'm thepackleader, you're copper, copper is robinlupe, robinlupe is candidly, candidly is "it"— warbiscuit
- I always saw Utley as having a compact swing; let’s not overanalyze Ruf. Let’s play ball, break him in gradually if needed. A half season at AAA wouldn’t upset me at all unless spring training results show he’s ready. I like the idea of him subbing at first base to rest Howard and counter lefties.— terrycindyian
- I was one of those Hamilton or nothingers and was crushed when it didn't happen. But you know what? Darrin Ruff can provide that power. I know it sounds nuts but I think Ruff can hit 35 and100 and also can hit for average. how much better would Hamilton have been?(I know just let reality go a bit, Hamilton would be great)But I do think Ruff is for real and will reach those numbers. And let's not forget Mike Young is only one year removed from his norm. Chase Utley is healthy, as is Howard and Halliday. Along with the fastest player in the game with Revere, and whatever happens with Dom Brown and or Delmon Young (2guys who should be very motivated)the PHILLIES have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball, which is now sured up by a revitalized bullpen. So look for for the Phils to bring everyone in D.C. Back to reality this year! Go Phillies!— MikeL37
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