For what the Phils paid him, it was fine value
There was a point in late September where I tweeted this:
I’m comfortable with Jose Ruiz in high leverage spots in the Postseason. He’s been money since the break.
— The Good Phight (@TheGoodPhight) September 25, 2024
That was because Jose Ruiz had a 1.99 era post-All Star Break and genuinely looked like a reliable option. Well, that did not last into the Postseason. Ruiz gave up four hits and an earned run over just one and a third innings in the NLDS.
When examining his entire body of work, it was an average season. Which is nothing to scoff at given the Phillies paid him all of a million dollars. It could’ve gone much worse (see Yunior Marte).
2024 stats: 52 G, 5-1, 51 IP, 51 H, 3.71 ERA, 4.23 FIP, 8 HR, 17 BB, 52 K, 1.33 WHIP, 0.1 fWAR
The Good
The aforementioned second half dominance was great. Ruiz was excellent for the finals two-plus months of the year and helped alleviate some of the pressure on Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm.
He generated above average swing and miss action and was sensational at getting hitters to expand the zone.
The Bad
Ruiz hovered around league average in the free pass department and was unfortunately hit hard when he stayed in the zone.
The hard hit percentage has been an issue for Ruiz throughout his career and his FIP suggests he was a bit more fortunate than some other Phillies pitchers.
It’s hard to complain about his season given the fact he was essentially free to employ.
With a 0.1 fWAR, average is the exact right description for the right-hander’s 2024.
The Future
The former D-Back is under team control for two more seasons and is a lock for the 2025 Opening Day roster. Ruiz and the Phillies avoided arbitration by agreeing on a $1.225 million number for the 2025 season.
Ruiz’s 2025 can go one of two ways. He could regress closer to his FIP thanks to hitters pummeling the ball in the zone or he could manage to build off of the excellent chase rate and figure out how to nibble around the plate a bit better.
As it stands today, the righty is in line for a low-leverage or 6th inning role, with at least Kerkering and Strahm poised to lock down the later innings.