Texas Rangers 2017 preseason profile: Ryan Rua
Coming off a career high in games played last season, Texas Rangers utility man Ryan Rua is set to do good things.
The Texas Rangers have a very useful tool in Ryan Rua. He’s one of those plug-and-play guys that will fill any position on any given day and will get the job done. Rua can bat anywhere in the lineup and although he’s not a prototypical power hitter, he can take you deep from time to time. Just look at his 2013 season in Hickory, where he hit 29 home runs in just 104 games. In other words, he’s one of those “break glass in case of emergency” type of guys that’s handy to have.
What Rua has done so far
Although he’s only played three seasons of big league ball, Rua has seen his fair share of playing time. Last season, he appeared in 99 games and started 67 of them. He has played all three outfield positions along with first and third base. In a pinch, he could also play second or shortstop. He played both positions in the minors with Round Rock and Spokane, respectively.
Another unique thing about Rua is that he hit in every slot in the lineup last season except third. (He came in for two games last season that would have placed him in the number three spot, but didn’t get to bat.) He batted .316 out of the cleanup spot last season in 22 plate appearances with a home run and four RBIs. But his most comfortable slot in the lineup last season was batting sixth.
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Out of the six-hole, Rua hit .290 with a .380 OBP and a .420 slugging percentage. He homered twice and drove in ten runs in 22 games as the lineup’s sixth hitter. Rua proved last season that he can thrive batting in the middle of the lineup, hitting .283 from the fourth, fifth and sixth spots, combined.
He also improved his approach last season. After striking out in 37.2% of all plate appearances in 2015, he dropped it to 28.3% last season. Plus, he more than doubled his walk rate from 3.5% two seasons ago to 7.8%. He has great power and discipline for a platoon guy.
What to expect next from Rua
Rua has a chance to see quite a few playing opportunities again this season. He’s the most likely choice to provide rest a few times throughout the week to players like Carlos Gomez, Shin-Soo Choo, Mike Napoli and Adrian Beltre. Depending on injuries to other guys, he could play in close to 100 games again this year and thrive from it.
Over the long term of the season, his average may drop a bit. Defensively, he’ll get the job done and minimize mistakes. In the event of an injury to one of the regulars, he’s likely the first guy that will play everyday on an interim basis.
Next: Rangers preview: Elvis Andrus
As Rua gains more experience, his power numbers could grow even stronger than he’s currently showed at the MLB level. It’s reasonable to expect about 250 plate appearances for Rua this season. He’ll raise his average another click this year as he continues to hone in his discipline. Something in the range of 10 home runs and 30 RBIs is a good goal for him. Expect a batting average in the range of .265 and an on base of .340.