2025 Fantasy Baseball: Keibert Ruiz Profile, Preview, Predictions
In this story:
Keibert Ruiz swings early and often when he comes to the plate, but he is challenging to strike out. Unfortunately, not enough balls land in the seats, and his contact batting average has been a liability for the past three seasons.
Second homer of the day for Keibert Ruiz! pic.twitter.com/1hZ3VDMarN
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 6, 2025
C – Keibert Ruiz, WAS (ADP – 199.9)
In 2023, Ruiz finished fourth in at-bats (523), 10th in runs (55), 14th in home runs (18), and ninth in RBIs (67) for catchers. He hit for a higher average (.289) vs. lefties, but only one ball landed in the seats over 149 at-bats. His bat had the most value over his final 265 at-bats (.287/32/9/37).
Ruiz landed on the injury list (illness) in mid-April last season, costing him 15 games. He finished the year with regression in all categories. Eight of his 13 home runs came in July and August (.237/22/8/26 over 169 at-bats).
His contact batting average (.259) has been below .300 over the past three seasons, which is an excellent example of my view of CTBA. Ruiz is challenging to strike out (11.1%), leading to a high volume of balls put into play. His batting average can never be higher than his contact batting average. A look back at his batting average in 2021 in the minors (.310) and majors (.273) suggests more upside in this area. Unfortunately, the direction of his swing limits his ceiling at this point in his career.
Ruiz tried to hit more fly balls (46.2% - 39.2 in 2023) in 2024, but only 6.9% left the park. He ranked poorly in exit velocity (85.4 mph) and hard-hit rate (25.4).
Fantasy Outlook: The window for Ruiz to earn the bulk of starting catching starts for the Nationals is getting closer to ending. He must hit the ball harder while maintaining a fly-ball swing path. At best, a 60/15/60 player with a neutral batting average and minimal speed. He is more of a gamble than a target, but Ruiz did hit 21 home runs over 284 at-bats at AAA in 2021.
RANKINGS
Top 5 Catchers | Catchers 6-10 | Catchers 11-15
Top 5 First Basemen | First Basemen 6-10 | First Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Second Basemen | Second Basemen 6-10 | Second Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Shortstops | Shortstops 6-10 | Shortstops 11-15
Top 5 Third Basemen | Third Basemen 6-10 | Third Basemen 11-15
With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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