Ruggiano has good power and good speed, and very nice minor league numbers. He's 29 however, and really has never had a sniff of major league playing time. He doesn't appear to be terrible at defense, so without knowing much more about him, this looks like a guy who could contribute off the bench for the Astros and possibly earn some playing time if any of the regulars falter.
His name starts with a J; he must be pretty good then!
BustaPozee - February 6, 2012
He is from Austin, TX and played at A&M, so he has some Texas roots.
His minor league numbers are not bad at all. And the fact that the Rays played him at all 3 outfield positions, including CF, in his brief times with the big league club makes me believe his defense is decent. Also, the Rays kept him on their 2008 World Series roster as a defensive replacement. HIs wikipedia page says he was involved in a “historic” World Series play when Madden moved him in from RF to play behind 2d base.
clack - February 6, 2012
If you believe Total Zone, Ruggiano had some good defensive years in the minors. +11 in CF in Durham 2009.
Overall: RF (7 Seasons) +17; :CF (7 seasons) +11; LF (7 seasons) +7.
I wonder if he could platoon with Shafer in CF?
clack - February 6, 2012
I was thinking the same thing, but I noticed that based on his splits he doesn’t appear to hit LHP well.
Hal J - February 6, 2012
He has a reverse split at the ML level so far, but that sample size makes me think it might be an aberration. Very few players have true long term reverse splits. Ruggiano’s platoon splits are more even at the minor league level, though the splits are somewhat erratic from year to year.
clack - February 7, 2012
Going to take a wild stab
That scouts/coaches saw something in his swing which they thought would make it hard for him to catch up to a major league fastball. He has a career 25% strikeout rate in the minors. His swing may be too long or he may have a bad hitch in it or a big uppercut… impossible to say without seeing him play. But the K-rate is definitely the big warning sign here for why his skills have never translated to a consistent ML career, to my mind.
OremLK - February 7, 2012
Good point.
jmike - February 7, 2012
I watched some video on this guy, he has game. He seems to be pretty good defensivley and for offense he can hit. Yeah he has problem making contact but he has a lot of power for someone with great( or at least above avearge) defense. He should definatly get some playing time this year. Platoon in the outfield.
Astro#1fan - February 7, 2012
Off Topic
Rockies traded for Jeremy Guthrie (Orioles) to become their No. 2 rotation pitcher He will make either $7.5 million or $10.5 million, depending on his arbitration. Hammel and Lindstrom went to the Orioles. I assume this will make the Rockies even less interested in Wandy.
clack - February 6, 2012
Seems like the Orioles just did a salary dump.
http://mobile.camdenchat.com/2012/2/6/2774830/jeremy-guthrie-traded-to-the-rockies-for-two-players-not-likely-to-be#comments
Orioles fans at Camden Chat weren’t all that happy with the trade. Guts seemed to be a fan favorite over there.
conroestro - February 6, 2012 via mobile
There’s an argument to be made that Guthrie could end up overpaid, particularly if he wins his arbitration hearing. I’m sure that entered into it. But I wouldn’t be surprised if this backfires on the Rockies. Guthrie is a flyball pitcher going to Coors Field.
clack - February 6, 2012
I didn’t think about it that way. I read it somewhere from one of those talking heads that they thought Guthrie should be better off because he’s out of the East with the Yanks Red Sox and Rays, and in the NL West where there are some more spacious parks.
conroestro - February 6, 2012 via mobile
reading those Os comments, it seems like the big complaint is that the Orioles got veterans rather than prospects in return for Guthrie. That’s a reasonable point, but propsects are hard to come by this off-season if you trade an expensive veteran starting pitcher.
clack - February 6, 2012
That is true. That’s definitely been the case with Wandy. This offseason teams have basically been trading prospects to get more prospects.
conroestro - February 6, 2012 via mobile
Not much of a salary dump with Hammel making 4.75MIL and Lindstrom making 3.6MIL, especially if Guthrie ends up getting paid 7.5MIL
Timothy De Block - February 7, 2012
One of the reasons I think this trade isn’t so bad for the O’s is that I still like Lindstrom. If he can stay healthy, which is always his problem, Lindstrom is a very good relief pitcher. A pitcher who can be a shutdown reliever in either the set up or closer role is pretty useful. Before his back injury in 2010, Lindstrom had 21 saves in only half a season on a bad Astros’ team.
clack - February 7, 2012
I was watching Clubhouse Confidential this morning and they should the home/road splits for Lindstrom. He was an elite relieve on the road and pedestrian at home.
Timothy De Block - February 7, 2012
OT---Baseball America Top 100 Amateurs
I can’t recall if anyone has posted BA’s Top 100 players for the draft this year. here
clack - February 6, 2012
Surprised how low Nick and Trey Williams are. I’d put Trey 15-25 and Nick in the 30-35 range. I’m just not sold on Nick at all. Power potential is there, athleticism is there, but I don’t see much else currently beyond potential. Risk is just waaaaaay too big for a first rounder, but appropriate maybe for a supplemental. Dream scenario for me would be Trey available with our first supplemental pick!
I’m growing on Giolitto as our first pick really fast. I’m starting to believe in his floor the more I read and watch video. Appel would still be a solid first pick IMO, but he needs a really good season with strikeouts, but I really like his stuff. But, needs numbers with stuff.
Subber10 - February 6, 2012
I also was surprised at the placement of the two Williams prospects.
clack - February 6, 2012
Back in June I posted my favorites for the #1 pick
Trey made my top 15… but my top 5 were
Lance McCullers
Mark Appel
Lucas Giolito
David Thompson
Kevin Gausman
Looks like Thompson and McCullers fell off a cliff… but Appel and Giolito were decent picks at least. I have no problem with an ace potential HS pitcher.
Crzycjunx76 - February 6, 2012
I was never a McCullers fan, I don’t like the arm action at all.
Subber10 - February 6, 2012
#38 Courtney Hawkins.
I hope he signs a fat contract and fails miserbly, then he ends up selling used cars.
The guy is straight douche: very cocky, won’t pitch for our school since he wants to save his arm, he thinks he’s the only one around, mean to everyone, forces ppl to throw with him and I’m not sure if I stressed this; he’s a big a-hole. Him and I used to be good friends, then we just grew apart like all of his other friends just my 2 cents.
ccislanders - February 6, 2012 via mobile
If you dislike him so much, why do you want him to sign a fat contract? And why would he end up selling used cars if he signs a fat contract? (other than him blowing all the money)
Hal J - February 6, 2012
This guy is really dumb, like insanely dumb, he's always skipping classes and buying food and stuff.
He thinks everything revolves around him.
So to my point. I want him to sign a contract, then fail at AA or something and become a career minor leauge free agent. After that, at the age of 28 or something, I want him to move back to Corpus and live in an apartment and just be a regular citizen that can hardly get by (not trying yo offend anyone here). Knowing him, he’ll prbly be telling stories of how good he was and how he was such a great player, but had Brandon Lyon’s surgery and was career ending.
There’s no way he can get a degree, he’s a cheating/lying kid getting through school on baseball (all he’s got going for him).
(This plan is similar to Tyrann Mathieu’s, I’d like the guy, but he gave Dre Kirkpatrick a concussion and could’ve ruined his career, just over a dirty push on punt coverage. So my plan for him is a little harsh.)
ccislanders - February 7, 2012 via mobile
He buys food and stuff?!!
What a douchebag!!!
Kidding aside, karma isn’t real. Sometimes good people get the shaft and a-holes get everything their way. That’s life. And as my pappy always says, you can wish in one hand and shit in the other…see which one gets full faster.
Its Gonna Happen - February 7, 2012 via mobile
lol, I meant leaves off campus and buys food,.
He gets caught by the officers all the time and gets away with it, but everyone else gets a ticket and goes to court and ends up paying a $250 fine.
So you know, I along with many others, hate him. Hopefully he gets a bag full of sh*t.
,
ccislanders - February 7, 2012 via mobile
They fine you for leavng campus for lunch? That’s pretty harsh. A lot of high schools allow students to leave campus for lunch.
clack - February 7, 2012
A cpl years ago the district banned it. So now if you get caught it's a ticket and court.
It’s considered truancy.
ccislanders - February 7, 2012 via mobile
If a TCB reader knows a player personally and says he’s a douchebag, then I don’t want that player. You convinced me. Somebody else can put up with him if he’s as bad as you say.
One correction though: Kirkpatrick had what was coming to him. He should have known better than to align his stars with Nick Saban, the biggest hypocrite and sellout ever to don a straw hat. Don’t blame Mathiew. Think of it more as a righteous smiting.
CRPerry13 - February 7, 2012
He's the kind of person that just brings the team down. Very, very sellfish. We're preseason #1 in the state and he won't pitch for us.
I asked him a cpl days ago if he ever gets any calls from the Astros, he said “hell naw” and went on for about 5 minutes about how he talks to the Rangers, Seattle, Phil and etc etc. It’s pretty cool playing with him since there’s always a scout or 2 watching practice and BP stuff like that.
Dre did have it coming, but he didn’t need to throw him down like he did, then start raising his arms like nothing happened. Either way, they’re both trash talkers that start a bunch of crap.
ccislanders - February 7, 2012 via mobile
I'm not a bad person by any intentions, but there are a couple ppl that deserve a little justice.
ccislanders - February 7, 2012 via mobile
C.J. Hinojosa
He is one of the Houston area high schoolers projected fairly high on the BA list. Has anyone seen him play or have thoughts on him? He projects to be a shortstop with power. Since he has indicated a strong desire to get a college education (UT), it’s possible he will fall some in the draft.
clack - February 7, 2012
Barring injury, terrible play, or major signing concerns
there is no way Trey Williams falls to us in the 1S. It would be awesome, but it ain’t happening.
DrewRusse - February 7, 2012
Not Trey, no.
Maybe Nick.
OremLK - February 7, 2012
If BA is correct in current rankings (obviously it will change), he’s at 27, if signabilty is a concern, he could potentially drop. I agree its not likely, but let me dream lol.
Subber10 - February 7, 2012
Nick Williams is another guy who has wanted to play at UT for awhile. So signability concerns are a possibility.
clack - February 7, 2012
I was refering to Trey, but I’ve read nick is a signability concern because of his commitment to UT.
Subber10 - February 7, 2012
Maybe playing for his home team Astros would help sway him. Certainly they should have an easy time talking to him and getting a feel for what he wants to do. The Pirates weren’t shy with Josh Bell and it paid off.
OremLK - February 7, 2012
Looks like Giolito has moved ahead of Buxton for them
He is becoming the consensus #1 HS guy. I think he is the most likely guy right now to separate himself from the pack, due to his combination of age, pitchability, and raw physical upside. I think it is less likely that Appel will take the necessary step forward.
OremLK - February 7, 2012
I really like what Giolito has going for him
particularly the velocity that goes with what i view as a good/clean arm action. I understand a lot will change between now and the draft but if it was today id like the the Astros take him at #1.
Uncle Chris - February 7, 2012
Adrian Cardenas claimed by Cubs
Someone posted a comment earlier, wanting the Astros to claim Adrian Cardenas, a AAA infielder with the A’s. Looks like the Cubs claimed him and DFA’d Blake Dewitt. Cardenas probably will be the Cubs’ utility infielder. He has good OBP skills, but reportedly is not a great defender. Dewitt is an interesting release—-he was the key return that the Cubs got in trading Ted Lilly to the Cubs.
clack - February 6, 2012
…should be Dodgers instead of Cubs for the last word.
clack - February 6, 2012
I thought that was odd. Seemed like Blake Dewitt and Adrian Cardenas are somewhat interchangeable.
conroestro - February 6, 2012 via mobile
Cardenas is a little bit cheaper and has a couple of years more of team control. (Dewitt is in first year arbitration.) But yes they have some similarities. (Both were first round picks, for one.)
clack - February 6, 2012
Boom
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120206&content_id=26592098&vkey=news_hou&c_id=hou
BustaPozee - February 6, 2012
DeShields is somewhat surprising as a ML camp invite at age 19. The others aren’t as surprising. Luhnow says he wants them to experience major league camp start to finish, to learn and become enthusiastic about moving up.
clack - February 6, 2012
I’m a little surprised by Springer as well, sure he is an amazing talent, but his experience is so limited.
Subber10 - February 6, 2012
The ST invite may have been written into Springer’s contract.
Hal J - February 6, 2012
Could it be that the invite was written into DDJ’s?
Timothy De Block - February 7, 2012
true
.
And my recollection is that DDJ got to play one or two innings in a ML spring training game last year—as I recall that he got a hit— (very early in spring training), which would be consistent with having it written into his contract. But Luhnow’s quote makes it sound like this will be more than a couple of weeks.
clack - February 7, 2012
Creating team interest seems to be the strategy since the new regime took over.
Timothy De Block - February 7, 2012
Back to Justin Ruggiano
I never heard of him but I like this comment from a Rays fan:
“Ruggiano never got a chance to play with any regularity with the Rays. He’s a good fielder and there were too many in front of him with the Rays. Astro fans will be pleasantly surprised.”
Joe in Birmingham - February 7, 2012
if I remember right, he was a mini fan fave over there
ccislanders - February 7, 2012 via mobile
I like his Minor League numbers
I like that he’s a local-ish guy
I like his good defense/power mix
And I like that he’s right in the middle of his prime years
Good sign
Its Gonna Happen - February 7, 2012 via mobile
“Most of these guys never had a prime”
Brad E - February 8, 2012 via mobile
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