There’s no denying that last year’s version of Darin Ruf was nothing short of an unmitigated disaster. Ruf was acquired on Aug. 2, 2022 for four players, including J.D. Davis, Thomas Szapucki and A-level pitchers Nick Zwack and Carson Seymour.
Davis alone has been better since the trade. Time will tell on the others.
As a Met, Ruf batted a woeful .152 in 74 at-bats, compiling just 10 hits, none of which were homers.
The Mets gave Tommy Pham a 1-year deal, so now Ruf is in a “rough” spot. (See what I did there?) He’s going to have to earn his stripes, but as of now, he’s still in the plans moving forward.
Ruf, now 36, is just two years removed from a career year, where he belted 16 homers and drove in 43 runs. Let’s not forget to mention his .271 batting average and whopping .385 OBP. That’s Brandon Nimmo territory.
Ruf is a .272 career hitter vs. lefties, even with his garbage showing last year. Against righties, that’s another story. He’s just a .216 lifetime hitter. It’s quite possible Ruf might play himself into becoming a free agent if he doesn’t perform, as the Mets have young guys like Francisco Alvarez and Mark Vientos waiting in the wings, but if he goes back to career norms, there still could be a place for him on this team as the weak side of the DH platoon with Daniel Vogelbach.
It could get ugly though – we know New Yorkers. If he doesn’t hit, the boos will rain upon him. Call me crazy, but I am rooting for the guy.
