Diamondbacks 2023 Player Reviews: Jose Ruiz

The hard throwing right-hander struggled with control and homers

This is article is part of a series reviewing every player that pitched at least one inning or had at least one plate appearance for the Diamondbacks in their magical run to the 2023 World Series. They are being presented in reverse order of their aWAR, which is the average of Baseball Reference and Fangraphs WAR

Jose Ruiz -0.12 aWAR

Jose Ruiz 2023 and career stats / Jack Sommers

Jose Ruiz was signed as an amateur free agent by the San Diego Padres all the way back in 2011. He made his major league debut with that organization in 2017. Traded to the Chicago White Sox prior to 2018, he stayed with that organization through early April of 2023. His best full season was 2021 when he pitched in 59 games, posting a 3.05 ERA with a 3.99 FIP

Ruiz struggled afterwards however seeing his ERA rise to 4.60 in 2022 due to walks and homers. His 2023 season got off to a disastrous start in which he gave up nine runs in just four games pitched resulting the the White Sox designating him for assignment on April 7th. Dealing with a slew of reliever injuries and desperate to find some power in the bullpen, the Diamondbacks acquired him for cash considerations.  "He's got a very live arm, a lot of velo" said D-backs manager Torey Lovullo at the time.

Ruiz indeed possessed a 97 MPH fastball and could get strikeouts. The problem for him in his career had been too many walks and homers, simply poor control, and command of the strike zone.  Ruiz got off to a bumpy start with the D-backs, allowing runs in his first two games. He settled down over his next seven games however, giving up just four hits, walking only one, and striking out 11. It was a tantalizing glimpse of what Ruiz could do when he throws strikes and got ahead of hitters. 

That level of performance did not last. Over his next 25 outings he pitched 30 innings, giving up 36 hits including five homers. He walked 16 while striking out 24. He pitched to a 5.04 ERA during that stretch, and was ultimately DFA'd on July 25th.  He cleared waivers and was out righted to Triple-A Reno on July 30th and never made it back on the 40-man roster. He was granted free agency on November 2nd and is free to sign with any team. 

Ruiz is a classic example why reliever ERA can be deceiving. Small samples sizes can distort the ERA in either direction. This is why we often look to FIP, or fielding independent pitching, to get a sense if the pitcher is getting runs results in line with his peripherals of walks, strikeouts, and homers allowed.  Looking at both his 2023 results and career in the table above one can see a large gap with FIP much higher than ERA.  

Inherited runners have also been a problem for Ruiz throughout his career.  Coming into 2023 Ruiz had allowed 34 of 75 inherited runners to score, a rate of 45%.  MLB average is usually around 30%.  In addition to the runs that were charged to Ruiz adding up to 4.43 ERA in Arizona, he also allowed 6 of 14 inherited runners to score. 

Now 29 years old, it's not too late for the veteran reliever to figure out how to find the strike zone with consistency. That won't happen with the D-backs however, unless they decide to bring him back on a minor league contract. 

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