José Ruiz
6´1´´
190 pounds
Throws: Right
Age: 24
SSS rank among all right-handed relief pitchers in the system: 5
Ruiz, a Venezuela native, was the 16th-ranked international prospect (two spots ahead of Miguel Andujar) as a catcher in 2011, when the San Diego Padres signed him for $1 million. Unfortunately for Ruiz, his bat didn’t advance as far as his glove and arm (he threw out 36.7% of attempted base stealers throughout his minor league career), hitting just .203 in 950 at-bats.
In the middle of the 2016 season, the Padres converted him to a pitcher.