Rio Ruiz: To Make Atlanta Braves Debut in 2016?

The Atlanta Braves acquired Rio Ruiz before the start of the 2015 season in a trade that sent Evan Gattis to the Houston Astros. After a disappointing 2015 season, is Ruiz poised for a bounce-back 2016 campaign?

The Houston Astros selected Rio Ruiz in the fourth round of the 2012 MLB Amateur Draft out of Bishop Amat Memorial High School in California. Ruiz, a well-regarded prospect in the draft, demonstrated above-average contact and power; thus, he vaulted to the top of most teams’ big boards. The Astros ultimately selected the third baseman, and after signing with the Astros in 2012, the team assigned him to the GCL Astros.

As a member of the GCL Astros, Rio Ruiz hit .271 with 11 RBI in 23 games played. More impressively, Ruiz flashed an advanced eye for the strike zone, registering a .361 OBP in the Gulf Coast League. Despite Ruiz’s steady batting average and on-base percentage, he struggled to find his power stroke that many scouts and teams fell in love with, finishing with no home runs. Although his power was absent in the beginning of the 2012 season, the Astros gave him a promotion to Greeneville to finish out the 2012 season.

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Rio Ruiz showed his age in the Appalachian League, owing a .220/.291/.380 slash-line; however, he registered his first professional home run, albeit his lone home run on the 2012 season. Ruiz played 15 games with the Greeneville Astros before the 2012 season finished. Between two leagues, Ruiz played in 38 games, accumulating 34 hits while posting a .252/.336/.400 slash-line. Also, Ruiz posted a respectable strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2-to-1 in his first professional season.

Following the 2012 season, the Houston Astros promoted Rio Ruiz to the Quad Cities River Bandits. He spent the entire season with the Astros’ Single-A affiliate. Ruiz played in 114 games during the 2013 season, and his power came alive. Ruiz slugged a career-high 12 home runs to go along with 63 RBI. Notably, Ruiz flashed a little speed on the base paths, stealing 12 bases on the season. Also, Ruiz managed to improve on his strikeout-to-walk ratio, batting average (.260), and slugging percentage (.430).

Rio Ruiz climbed the ladder as one of the Houston Astros’ best prospects, and he earned yet another promotion following his impressive 2013 season. In 2014, Ruiz played third base for High-A Lancaster alongside the mega-prospect Carlos Correa. Ruiz and Correa led the left-side of the infield, and they put together impressive offensive seasons as well. Ruiz played in 131 games, and he continued to flash his nice power. Ruiz finished the 2014 season with 11 home runs and a career-high 77 RBI. Also, Ruiz put together the best slash-line of his career, .293/.387/.436.

After the 2014 season, Rio Ruiz seemed destined for great things with the Houston Astros; however, the team shopped for a power bat in the 2015 offseason. Ultimately, the Astros traded for former Atlanta Braves catcher/outfielder Evan Gattis. Gattis’ services did not come cheap as the Astros unloaded three highly-touted prospects. The Astros traded Rio Ruiz, Mike Foltynewicz, and Andrew Thurman for the catcher-converted-outfielder. The Braves pulled off one of the best trades of their busy offseason in the trade with the Astros.

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After the trade to the Atlanta Braves, Rio Ruiz entered the 2015 season as the Braves’ seventh-best prospect (per MLB.com). Rio Ruiz spent the entire 2014 season at High-A, so the Braves decided to promote Ruiz to Double-A Mississippi. However, Ruiz struggled with the increase in talent, and he posted one of the worst seasons of his young, professional career. Ruiz registered a lackluster .233/.333/.324 slash-line, and his home run and RBI totals took a dip as well. In 127 games, Ruiz finished the 2015 season with just five home runs and 46 RBI.

After Ruiz’s disappointing 2015 season, he fell one spot in MLB.com’s prospect rankings, falling from seventh to eighth. Despite the fall, he ranks as the Atlanta Braves’ second-best hitter, behind Ozhaino Albies and ahead of Braxton Davidson. The Braves expect great things out of their future third baseman, so hopefully he finds his stroke in 2016. It is unclear where Rio Ruiz starts the 2016 season, with Double-A Mississippi a likely possibility. If Ruiz hits the ground running in 2016, a quick promotion to Triple-A Gwinnett looks like a strong possibility.

Next: Atlanta Braves: 2015, A Year to Forget

Keep an eye on the young third baseman in Spring Training next season. Rio Ruiz projects to be in Atlanta in 2016, so hopefully that timeline holds true. With Hector Olivera on the Braves’ roster for next season, Ruiz can fill a bench role with the Atlanta Braves. However, if Ruiz struggles next season, we may not see the talented third baseman until the 2017 season, which leaves Olivera’s status up in the air. He is the third baseman of the future for the Atlanta Braves, leaving Olivera as simply a bridge from Atlanta’s rebuild to their contention.

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