Randy Ruiz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Randy Ruiz |
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| First baseman/ Hitting coach | |||
| Born: October 19, 1977 The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
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| Professional debut | |||
| MLB: August 1, 2008, for the Minnesota Twins | |||
| NPB: June 1, 2010, for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles | |||
| Last appearance | |||
| MLB: May 17, 2010, for the Toronto Blue Jays | |||
| NPB: August 22, 2012, for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars | |||
| MLB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .272 | ||
| Home runs | 12 | ||
| Runs batted in | 25 | ||
| NPB statistics | |||
| Batting average | .239 | ||
| Home runs | 20 | ||
| Runs batted in | 60 | ||
| Teams | |||
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Randy Radames Ruiz (born October 19, 1977) is an American former professional baseball player. He played as a designated hitter and first baseman. Randy is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs 240 pounds. He was born in The Bronx, New York. His parents came from Santurce, Puerto Rico.
Randy went to James Monroe High School. He played baseball there for coach Mike Turo. Later, he attended Bellevue University in Bellevue, Nebraska. He played college level baseball there. The New York Mets first drafted Randy in 1996. He was picked in the 36th round but did not sign with them.
In Minor League Baseball, Randy played for many teams. These included the Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, and Philadelphia Phillies. He also played for the New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and San Francisco Giants. Randy holds a special record for the Rochester Red Wings. He had a 24-game hitting streak, the longest since 1979. He also won the Rookie of the Year Award at age 30. In 2008, Randy joined Major League Baseball with the Minnesota Twins. He later played for the Toronto Blue Jays. During the off-season, he played in the Puerto Rico Baseball League.
Contents
Randy Ruiz's Baseball Journey
Early Career with the Reds
Randy Ruiz spent nine seasons playing in Minor League Baseball. He played for seven different teams during this time. On July 11, 1999, he joined the Cincinnati Reds. He started his professional career that year. He played 33 games for the Gulf Coast Reds. He also played two games for the Single-A Clinton LumberKings.
In 2000, Randy won a batting title. He played for the Billings Mustangs in the Pioneer Baseball League. He was also named to the league's All-Star team. He hit for a .381 average. He also had 10 home runs and 55 RBI in just 61 games. Randy was also among the top players in hits and slugging percentage. The Reds released him in March 2003.
Time with the Baltimore Orioles
Just five days after leaving the Reds, Randy signed with the Baltimore Orioles. This was on March 29, 2003. He started the season with the Single-A Frederick Keys. He hit .250 with one home run and 8 RBI in 17 games. Then he moved to the Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds. With the Shorebirds, Randy hit .302. He also had 11 home runs and 51 RBI in 67 games. From May 28 to June 8, he had a great 11-game hitting streak.
Playing for the Philadelphia Phillies
In 2005, Randy played for the Reading Phillies. This team was part of the Philadelphia Phillies organization. He won the Eastern League batting title that year.
Royals, Yankees, and Pirates
In 2006, Randy signed with the Kansas City Royals. He started with the Double-A Wichita Wranglers. He played six games before being released in April. On April 23, Randy signed with the New York Yankees. He played for the Double-A Trenton Thunder. There, he hit .286 with 26 home runs and 87 RBI in 119 games.
On January 20, 2007, Randy signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was sent to the Double-A Altoona Curve. He hit .290 with seven home runs and 30 RBI in 47 games. On June 1, the Phillies got Randy back. He returned to Double-A Reading. He hit .378 with three home runs and 12 RBI in 22 games. This led to a promotion to Triple-A Ottawa Lynx. In 22 games with Ottawa, he hit .215 with four home runs. On July 23, the Phillies released him. Two days later, the San Francisco Giants signed him. He finished the season with the Double-A Connecticut Defenders. He hit .291 with eight home runs and 27 RBI in 39 games.
Major League Debut with Twins
On November 16, 2007, Randy signed with the Minnesota Twins. He started the 2008 season with the Rochester Red Wings. This was the Twins' Triple-A team. From June 22 to July 19, Randy had hits in 24 games in a row. This was the longest hitting streak for a Red Wings player since 1979. The Twins named Randy their Minor League Player of the Month for June. He had a batting average of .441. He also hit three home runs and had 12 RBI in his last ten games. After this, he was called up to play in the major leagues. In 111 games with Rochester, Randy hit .320. He also had 33 doubles, 17 home runs, and 68 RBI.
The Twins brought Randy up to the major leagues on August 1, 2008. He made his major league debut that night. He was 30 years old. He played as the designated hitter against the Cleveland Indians. Randy got his first major league hit in his third at bat. He hit his first major league home run on August 27, 2008. This was just hours after he was named the International League Rookie of the Year. Randy played in 22 games with Minnesota. He finished with a .274 average, one home run, and 7 RBI. The Twins released Randy on December 3, 2008.
Joining the Toronto Blue Jays
Randy signed with the Toronto Blue Jays on December 17, 2008. He started the season with the Las Vegas 51s. This team played in the Pacific Coast League. He was chosen to play in the 2009 Triple-A All-Star Game. In 114 games with Las Vegas, Randy had a great season. He hit .320 with 81 runs scored, 43 doubles, and 25 home runs. He also had 106 RBI. His numbers for doubles, RBIs, and total bases led the league. He was called up to Toronto on August 11. On September 4, Randy was chosen as the MVP of the Pacific Coast League.
Randy joined the Blue Jays' major league team on August 11. He replaced Alex Ríos. Toronto was in New York to play the New York Yankees. This was at the new Yankee Stadium, close to where Randy grew up. After striking out in his first try, Randy hit his first home run as a Blue Jay. This was off Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain. He hit another home run the next day. On September 6, in a home game against the Yankees, Randy was hit in the face by a ball. He walked off the field on his own. He finished the 2009 season hitting .313. He also had 10 home runs and 17 RBI in 33 games.
Randy returned to the Blue Jays for the 2010 season. He was on the team's Opening Day roster. However, he had a tough start. He hit only .150 with one home run in 13 games. In May 2010, Randy asked to be released from the Blue Jays. He had an offer to play baseball in Japan.
Playing in Japan
After leaving Toronto on May 19, 2010, Randy signed with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. This team is in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) league in Japan. He signed a one-year contract for $493,000. In 81 games with the Eagles, he hit .266. He also had 12 home runs and 38 RBI. On November 29, 2011, he became a free agent.
Later Career Teams
On March 7, 2012, Randy signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was sent to the Triple-A Reno Aces. He started strong, hitting .372 with three doubles, six home runs, and 23 RBI in April. On May 2, the Diamondbacks named Randy their Minor League Player of the Month for April. The Diamondbacks released Randy on June 11. In 49 games with Reno, he hit .332 with 14 home runs and 53 RBI.
After leaving the Diamondbacks, Randy signed with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars in Japan. He played in 32 games with the BayStars. He hit .210 with two home runs and 5 RBI.
On January 1, 2013, Randy signed with the Chicago White Sox. He was released on March 23.
On June 17, 2013, Randy signed again with the New York Yankees. He was sent to their Triple-A team, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. In 71 games for the RailRiders, Randy hit .274. He also had 17 home runs and 42 RBI.
