Justin Ruggiano saw the most big-league action of his career in 2012. (US Presswire) |
While looking at the Marlins roster, there are a lot of holes, and one of them is in center field. FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the team was hoping to either trade for the likes of the Angels' Peter Bourjos or possibly sign a veteran free agent such as Nate McLouth.
Among Rosenthal's nearly 285,000 followers is the man currently atop the Marlins' depth chart in center, Justin Ruggiano, who responded:
At the very least, you've got to love Ruggiano's attitude. But is he correct?
The former Texas A&M Aggie with be 31 in April and is coming off his best -- and longest -- stint in the majors, hitting .313/.374/.535 with 13 home runs and 14 stolen bases in 91 games for the Marlins last season. In parts of three years (2007-08, 2011) with the Rays, Ruggiano appeared in 98 games, hitting .226/.262/.359.
Is Ruggiano a better option than Bourjos? Bourjos hit just .220/.291/.315 in part-time action across 101 games last season (and 195 plate appearances). The speedster is atop many team's wish-list, after hitting a .271/.327/.438 in 2011, but that was before Mike Trout came up full-time to Anaheim. With Trout's ascension, the 25-year-old Bourjos has become expendable, but also a popular trade target, so there will certainly be competition in any type of trade market.
As four McLouth, he's the same age (more or less, he turned 31 in October) as Ruggiano, but will cost more. McLouth made $1.75 million last season. McLouth struggled in his return to the Pirates and was released by the Pirates at the end of May before being signed by the Orioles. In Baltimore, he returned to the form that made him an All-Star in 2008 (and earned him three-year, $15.75 million extension before the 2009 season).
The Marlins probably won't take Ruggiano just at his word that he can handle the full-time duties, nor should they, but he seems to be just as reasonable an answer as McLouth, who will cost much more. In the end, it seems more likely the team takes a flyer on another journeyman center fielder type who will sign a minor-league deal with a big-league invite and go with Ruggiano to start.
So, does he have it under control? He might, especially since he'll be cheap -- and it seems that's what's most important in Miami these days.
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