| Name |
Carlos Ruiz |
| Height |
|
| Naionality |
Panamanian |
| Date of Birth |
22-January-1979 |
| Place of Birth |
David, Chiriqui, Panama |
| Famous for |
Baseball Player |
Carlos Ruiz is a Panamanian professional baseball catcher. He plays for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. His nickname is Chooch. Ruiz was called up to the Phillies in May 2006, and played in 27 games that year.
The Phillies signed Rod Barajas before the 2007 season because they had some concerns about Ruiz' ability to catch, hit, and generally hold up over a full season at the major league level; however, those concerns were dispelled. Barajas' injury left an opening for backup Chris Coste on the Phillies' roster, but Ruiz played 115 games in 2007. After Barajas left for Toronto in 2008, Ruiz sat atop the depth chart at catcher and played in 117 games for the Phillies helping them win their second straight NL East title. By 2008, Ruiz had taken over as the Phillies' starting catcher. On October 25, 2008, in Game 3 of the 2008 World Series, Ruiz hit his first postseason home run off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Matt Garza at Citizens Bank Park. In the ninth inning, he recorded a walk-off single, sending Eric Bruntlett home from third, becoming the fourth National League player to hit a bases-loaded walk-off hit in World Series history, the first to deliver a walk-off infield hit, and the first walk-off of any kind by a Phillies player in the World Series. Ruiz was selected to the 2007 Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team. The selection was the result of the 49th annual Topps balloting of major league managers.
In 2010, baseball fans voted Ruiz the "X-Factor Player of the Year" in MLB's This Year in Baseball Awards. Also in 2010, Ruiz received the Pride of Philadelphia Award from the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. Halladay has said Ruiz is the rock behind the plate, and presented him with a replica of his Cy Young Award in 2010. In 2011, Ruiz was rated the most underrated catcher in baseball by Jayson Stark, of ESPN. One scout in the MLB quoted, "I think he's the best catcher in the game – other than [Joe] Mauer, who's on a different planet".
