Phillies Trade Carlos Ruiz To The Dodgers
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Another member of the Phillies World Series tapestry is now gone. The team announced the trade of catcher Carlos Ruiz on Thursday afternoon.
The Phillies dealt Ruiz to the Dodgers where he will reunite with second baseman Chase Utley. In return, the Phillies acquired catcher A.J. Ellis, right-hander Tommy Bergjans and a player to be named later.
In addition to Ruiz, the Phillies will send cash to the Dodgers.
The Phillies are also expected to promote 23-year-old catcher Jorge Alfaro, according to a report.
Source: Jorge Alfaro is coming up for Phillies. One of key players in Cole Hamels trade return, Alfaro is a rocket-armed, big-power catcher.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 26, 2016
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Ruiz was signed by the Phillies as a free-agent from Panama in December of 1998. He ranks 4th in games caught for the Phillies at 1,029. He is behind Mike Lieberthal, Red Dooin and Bob Boone.
The player that eventually became known to the fans as Chooch made his way on to the Phillies in 2006. In 1,069 games, Ruiz batted .266 with 213 doubles and 68 home runs to go along with 401 RBI's.
Thank you, Chooch.https://t.co/HMyRb1CN8d
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 25, 2016
Ruiz seemed to shine when the stage was the biggest. In 11 World Series games, he batted .353 with a triple, two home runs, and six runs scored. Ruiz's walk-off single won Game 3 for the Phillies in 2008.
He also caught the final pitch of the 2008 World Series, which created one of the most iconic images in Phillies history.
Ruiz found success behind the mound while completing the battery with a number of highly regarded pitchers including Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Brad Lidge and Jonathan Papelbon.
Ruiz will leave a lasting legacy behind the plate in Philadelphia. Now, coming to stand in that place is Ellis. He has played in the majors since 2008 and has been the Dodgers opening day catcher every year since 2012.
Ellis, 35, has the lowest catcher's ERA (3.31) sinxe 2008, which has included time catching arguably the game's best pitcher in Clayton Kershaw.
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Bergjans is 3-13 with a 4.98 ERA and 133 strikeouts in single-A this season over 24 games this season. He was selected in the 8th round of the 2015 Draft our of Haverford College.