Atlanta Braves Midseason Top 50 Prospects: 20-11
12. Rio Ruiz, 3B, AAA Gwinnett
It took Ruiz until August to show the Braves what they’d been looking for out of him all season at AA Mississippi last season, so many speculated that he would return to Mississippi to get his feet under him and make a push to Gwinnett in the second half of the minor league season. More than anything, he was thought to possibly need to try a new position as his defense at third in 2015 was quite stiff and forced, leading some to think a move to the outfield was in his future.
Instead, the Braves promoted Ruiz to AAA Gwinnett. He’s already equaled his home run output for the entire season from last year, he’s walking more, and that defense has turned into a major asset. I don’t typically utilize errors as a pure measure of defense, but the difference is so striking that it is hard to ignore with Ruiz. Last season with Mississippi, Ruiz made 16 errors, and that was in spite of generally poorly-rated range at third. This season in about 2/3 the innings at the position played so far, he’s only had four miscues. He’s turned nearly twice the double plays as well, and he’s received mention on multiple scouts that have made reports on his games about how much more fluid he is in the field.
The plate is always going to be the place of concern with Ruiz, and he’s still streaky for certain, but those streaks have been centered at a much higher level this season. He’s currently slashing a .276/.365/.385 line, good for a .750 OPS. He’s adjusted his swing, which is the change that helped his revival so much last year at the end of the season, and while that does lead to somewhat of a higher strikeout rate, it also leads to more power and a lot more hits falling as it allows Ruiz to access his natural line drive swing.
Ruiz probably isn’t ever going to be a guy to hit 30 home runs. Heck, he may never hit 25. He very well, with a full season of at bats, could be a guy who could rack up 35+ doubles, however, and that is something that can be very valuable. He’s also very patient in his at bats, making a pitcher have to work.
It’s doubtful that Ruiz would get any form of extended run in Atlanta this season, but he could certainly be a guy to get brought up in September and have multiple games of success at the big league level due to his approach.
11. Lucas Sims, RHP, AA Mississippi
Sims is a guy who has been very volatile this season. If I’d have done this list on April 25th, Sims would have been a top 6-7 guy. If I’d have done this list on June 25th, Sims would have been down to the 15-20 range.
The Braves 2012 first round selection has been a guy who has great outings marked by plenty of rough ones, and that’s been his MO since coming into the league. He’s not having big swings in his start by start numbers, but he seems to have big swings in his month-by-month records. With Lucas, his ERAs this season have been 2.03 in April, 7.76 in May, and 9.92 in June. He’s back down to 3.71 in 3 July starts so far. Sims has led the organization in strikeouts this year and is brutal to his when he’s at his best.
Next: Braves Minor League Database
I noted when Sims started to struggle with AAA Gwinnett that he appeared injured on his side. As he’s moved back to Mississippi, I’ve caught two of his starts from start to finish now, and his mechanics still look as if he’s favoring the arm side due to an injury, but he’s changed his pitch usage due to it, throwing a lot more of his incredible curve balls rather than leading with fastballs.