Baseball Prospectus | | Eyewitness Scouting Report


	Rio Ruiz Born: 05/22/1994 (Age: 19)
	Bats: Left	Throws: Right
	Height: 6' 2"	Weight: 220
	Primary Position: 3B
	Secondary Position: 1B

Medium frame; maybe a little shorter than listed 6-2/215; broad shoulders; good size in his legs and torso; well built.

Evaluator	Chris Rodriguez
Report Date	05/07/2014
Dates Seen	4/8, 4/10, 4/12, 4/17, 4/18, 4/22, 4/24
Affiliate	Lancaster JetHawks (High A, Astros)

MLB ETA	Risk Factor	OFP	Video
2016	High	55	No

Tool	Future Grade	Report
Hit	55	Good bat speed; quick wrists; simple mechanics at the plate create an easy and repeatable swing; struggled in early looks with velocity; swing has some miss; beaten on the inside half and up in the zone; expanded the zone vs. off-speed and spin; much better in later looks; tracked pitches well; recognizes spin early; handled LHP well; stayed closed and went the other way; could have a fairly high on-base percentage; good overall package.
Power	50	Plus raw power; shows good leverage in the cage; good carry; haven't seen it in a game quite yet; swing is a little linear; have yet to see him drive a ball; still getting comfortable with his swing; want to see him unleash the bat head a little more and create more torque; hit tool and age allows for some imagination.
Baserunning/Speed	30	Well below-average run; 4.45 to 1st; could be faster but he shuts it down early; will only get slower as his body matures.
Glove	50	Better in recent looks; hands are softer; clean actions; makes the routine play; range is dependent on first step; charges in with good athleticism; turns the DP well; not eye-popping defensively but he could be average with more reps; current 40 grade.
Arm	60	Strong arm; can make the backhanded play look easy; good carry across the diamond;

Ruiz struggled early but bounced back to flash his promising upside. The hit tool has a chance to be above-average and the power could play to average at maturity. The defense is a work-in-progress, but he's looking better as the season progresses and the arm is strong. With the proper amount of work and desire on his part he can turn himself into a solid-average 3rd baseman. A .270-.280 hitter with 17-25 home runs is a good player and a player most teams would love to stick at 3rd base.