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Washington Nationals: Keibert Ruiz Already Making His Presence Felt

By Max Rayman

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 04: Keibert Ruiz #20 of the Washington Nationals runs the bases against the New York Mets during game one of a doubleheader at Nationals Park on September 04, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 04: Keibert Ruiz #20 of the Washington Nationals runs the bases against the New York Mets during game one of a doubleheader at Nationals Park on September 04, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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Keibert Ruiz arrived in D.C. in July of 2021 with immense expectations to no fault of his own. The 23-year-old was acquired in the blockbuster trade that sent franchise icons Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Dodgers. Both were instrumental in Washington winning its first-ever World Series title, with Scherzer cementing himself as a Hall of Famer during his tenure in D.C. Alongside Juan Soto, Ruiz was instantly expected to help usher in the new era of Nationals baseball.

Replacing a franchise icon comes with immense pressure, yet Keibert Ruiz has already started to live up to the hype.

At the time of the trade, Baseball America had Ruiz ranked the number 16th prospect in baseball and he was instantly seen as the Nats’ main building block alongside Juan Soto. He made his Nationals debut during the last month of the 2021 season — hitting .284, with two homers, 14 RBIs, and an OPS of .743 in 23 games. His knowledge of the strike zone was on full display, walking more (6) than he struck out (4).

Three games into the season and Ruiz has already started to stand out. The Mets ruined Opening Day, winning 5-1, but Ruiz made sure to make his presence felt on both offense and defense. He went 2-4, with a double, while gunning out Starling Marte at second. Then later in the game, the Nationals had a beautiful relay resulting in Ruiz tagging Pete Alonso out at the plate.

Game two saw Max Scherzer make his first start against the Nationals as a member of the Mets  — picking up the win, while allowing three runs across six innings, with six strikeouts. Despite the loss, Ruiz got the better of Scherzer throughout the night, going 1-2 against the righty. He finished 2-4 on the night. His single off of the righty in their first matchup allowed Josh Bell to advance to third and later score on a sacrifice fly.

Ruiz was held in check in game three, finishing 0-3 with a pair of strikeouts. But through the first series of the seasons, Ruiz is 4-11, with an OPS of .818. Be it a small sample size, but the Nats catcher has already started to provide a much-needed spark.

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