More experienced Ruiz seeking more power in second season

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – It’s easy to overlook just how much Keibert Ruiz had on his plate last season.

It’s tough enough for a young catcher – ostensibly a rookie, even though he no longer qualified by official standards – to learn how to lead a pitching staff through a full season. Now add the work required to become a productive big league hitter. From both sides of the plate. All while starting four or five times a week.

“Yeah, I wasn’t used to doing that in the minor leagues,” Ruiz said of the offensive-plus-defensive pressures he faced in 2022. “Like you said, a lot of responsibility. But I just learned from last year, and we keep going, keep doing my best. I feel that last year gave me a lot of confidence for this year.”

Despite the challenges he faced, Ruiz’s first full big league season was a resounding success in the Nationals’ eyes. He hit .251 with 22 doubles, seven homers, 36 RBIs and a .673 OPS. He threw out 22 baserunners, second-most among all major league catchers. And he learned how to be a leader behind the plate, taking charge of a pitching staff that endured through all kinds of troubles during a 107-loss season.

There is, however, more room to grow, everyone acknowledges. Ruiz was an above-average hitter in the Dodgers’ farm system before he was part of the Max Scherzer-Trea Turner trade. He hit 21 homers in 2021. He has the potential to be a true all-around catcher, maybe an All-Star.

The first step toward all of that: Getting Ruiz to come out of his shell a little more, something the Nationals’ coaching staff has already seen coming together early this spring. The 24-year-old has been more proactive in talking to pitchers, more animated, taking charge the way a franchise catcher is supposed to take charge.

“Oh, absolutely. I want to gain their confidence, and I want them to trust in me, as well,” he said. “We’re a family here, so I want them to get confident with having me around and just be comfortable. At the end of the day, we’re all a team, and I want us to go out there and feel like a family.”

Ruiz is soft-spoken, but he doesn’t lack for confidence. Now, with experience, he feels more comfortable showing that side of himself.

At the plate, the Nationals are working with him on making the most out of his contact. Ruiz is as good as anybody at getting the bat on the ball. But at times his contact skills were to his detriment, pushing him to chase pitches out of the zone and hit the ball weakly, rather than waiting for the best pitch to drive in a given at-bat.

“He can hit everything,” manager Davey Martinez said. “We talk about this a lot: He’s got tremendous bat-to-ball skills. We’re trying to get him to understand what balls he hits really well, and stay back and try to drive those balls. Basically, try to get his ‘A-swing’ off every pitch. And he’s done a lot better. His BP has been a lot crisper. He’s staying behind balls better.”

The best evidence of that so far this spring? Martinez noted a ball Ruiz (batting right-handed) drove to right-center field, into the wind, still getting it to carry. Ruiz looked back at his manager with a shocked expression.

“Yeah, see what happens when you use the rest of your body, not just your hands?” Martinez responded with a laugh.

“I think the home runs are going to come,” the manager continued. “The focus is to go gap-to-gap. And if you drive in 40 doubles and 80 runs, that’s going to be awesome for us.”

Ruiz believes that’s possible, understanding he can do more to hit the ball with more authority by being more selective and using his whole body when he does swing.

“Yeah, I feel like I can do that if I keep my body ready,” he said. “(Use) my legs and be in a good position to hit, I’ll be good.”

The 2022 season was something of a whirlwind for Ruiz. He became a big league regular for the first time. He was on pace to catch more than 120 games – more than anybody in the majors aside from Phillies All-Star J.T. Realmuto – until his season came to an abrupt and painful halt Sept. 8 in St. Louis when he was struck by a foul ball and suffered a testicular contusion that sent him to the hospital.

He’s had plenty of time to recover now, not to mention plenty of time to contemplate his first full season. What’s he most proud of?

“I think just having a full year in the big leagues,” he said. “Stay in the big leagues, that means you’re doing … not great, I know I can do better than that. But just to stay in the big leagues for a full year. But I don’t want to think about last year. We’re in 2023. We just gotta get focused on this season.”