Dodgers 2018 top prospects: No. 2, Keibert Ruiz

No prospect in the Dodgers system rose faster to star status than Keibert Ruiz in 2017. The switch-hitting catcher tamed the tough hitting environments of the Midwest League with ease before flashing power for the first time in his California League promotion. Ruiz even received a brief cameo at Tulsa during the playoffs, where he has started 2018, still just 19 years old. Developing power might be the only thing that keeps him from four present plus tools, and Ruiz is the cream of a full crop of catching prospects.

Ruiz is the ideal package of innate ability and future projection. Physically, he has a broad frame and looks bigger than his listed 6’0 200 lbs. size. He should carry an additional 15 to 20 lbs. with ease, and the extra physicality should help him with his pop. Ruiz is a good athlete though probably not in the class of Dodger backstops like Austin Barnes or Will Smith, but he nonetheless moves well behind the plate and is not a plodder on the basepaths.

Presently a switch hitter, Ruiz has shown a platoon split with the right side being weaker, and it’s possible he might be asked to scrap that side down the road. From the left side, Ruiz employs an open setup and low crouch. He has a high leg kick for timing purpose but could do better shifting his weight on contact. He has quick hands and decent extension, giving Ruiz an elevated plane on a swing that can stay in the hitting zone a long time.

Ruiz has an excellent eye and is tough to fool at the plate. He is able to make quick adjustments despite the leg kick, and he is also learning what pitches he can turn on. Ruiz’s power from the left side has been exclusively pull, but he should be able to extend to all fields with added strength. At the moment, though, Ruiz’s stroke is geared for line drives from the left side and he was extremely successful at putting the ball in play with fairly hard contact.

From the right side, Ruiz is much more upright, with lower hands and a heavily rotational swing that still makes a fair amount of contact but fails to drive the ball quite like his swing from the left side. His batting eye translates to both sides of the plate, but Ruiz could stand to quicken his bat and steepen his plane to add more impact to his contact.

Ruiz has a good reputation as a defensive catcher, but his blocking and footwork can look raw at times. He is a bigger catcher than other Dodger prospects and doesn’t quite frame the low strike as well as his counterparts, but his receiving skills are sound and will improve with more experience. He knows how to stick borderline pitches on the sides of the plate, and doesn’t pull catches out of the zone.

Ruiz’s setup can be a little noisey with runners on and this could be contributed to some overeagerness on his part. He doesn’t block the umpires vantage point so he shouldn’t have framing issues, but could stand to show a calmer approach. Ruiz moves well laterally behind the plate but will over-rely on his glove and won’t always position his body for blocking errant pitches. The overall too set is very promising for a teenager and his flaws are all correctable, so there’s little reason to believe he won’t stick behind the plate.

Ruiz has opened the year in a catching job-share with Will Smith, but given his status in the organization he’s sure to see regular at bats from behind the plate and in the designated hitter role. His ceiling is the highest of all catching prospects in the system, with the chance for easy plus hit tool and even possibly above average to plus power with more physical development. Smith might move quicker up the ladder than Ruiz this season given his polish, but that shouldn’t suggest he is the superior catching prospect at this point.

I haven’t seen a player this young with this accomplished of an offensive resume yet in the Dodger system since I started covering it, so I do consider Ruiz a special prospect. However, for him to reach elite prospect status, Ruiz will need to show more consistent ability to hit for power while also refining the raw aspects of his defensive game. He has yet to face adversity in his career but should meet a stiffer challenge with more polished pitching in Double-A. Should Ruiz again conquer the pitching he will face in the Texas League, expect to see him near the top of national prospect lists next season.