Wilkin Ruan
Encyclopedia
Wilkin Chal Ruan is a former Major League Baseball
outfielder
.
by the Montreal Expos
on November 15, . He hit
.348 with 33 stolen base
s for the Expos Dominican League team in before being brought to the states and placed in the Expos rookie ball team in . Against more experienced U.S. pitchers he struggled slightly, hitting only .239 for the Gulf Coast Expos that season, though he still stole 13 bases.
With the Cape Fear Crocs
in and , he improved his average (.224, .287) each year and continued to steal bases at an amazing rate, swiping 64 bases in 2000. In , he started at the Expos High-A team in Jupiter
and hit .283 with 25 steals before being promoted to their Harrisburg
Double-A team.
On March 23, he was traded by the Expos to the Los Angeles Dodgers
along with pitcher
Guillermo Mota
for Jorge Nunez and Matt Herges
. He started the 2002 season with the Dodgers Double-A team in Jacksonville
where he hit .253 with 23 steals and finished the season with the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s
where he hit .327 with 12 steals in 40 games. That earned him a September call-up to the Dodgers major league roster. He made his major league debut on September 1 as a pinch runner
. He got his first major league hit
the following day against the Arizona Diamondbacks
. He was primarily used as a pinch runner
during his month-long stay in the big leagues.
In , he was the starting center fielder
for the Las Vegas 51s
all season, hitting .308 with a whopping 41 steals in 49 attempts. He had a couple of stints with the Dodgers in 2003 also, hitting .220 in limited opportunities.
However, he had a tough spring training
in where he hit only .128 and wound up back in Jacksonville for the start of the season, hitting only .208 with 9 steals for the Suns, causing the Dodgers to release him on June 19, 2004.
On July 2, he was signed as a minor league free agent by the Kansas City Royals
and sent to their Double-A team in Wichita
where he rebounded slightly, hitting .276 with 11 steals. He remained at Wichita for the season, hitting .254 with 18 steals in somewhat limited playing time.
Released by the Royals after the 2005 season, he rejoined the Dodgers, signing to play once more with Jacksonville. He hit .260 with 18 steals as the starting center fielder for the Suns. In , he again started the season with Jacksonville, but was called up to Las Vegas in June, where he remained for . He became a free agent at the end of the season and signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies on December 17, 2008.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
.
Career
Known primarily for his speed, Ruan was signed as an undrafted free agentFree agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
by the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
on November 15, . He hit
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
.348 with 33 stolen base
Stolen base
In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a baserunner successfully advances to the next base while the pitcher is delivering the ball to home plate...
s for the Expos Dominican League team in before being brought to the states and placed in the Expos rookie ball team in . Against more experienced U.S. pitchers he struggled slightly, hitting only .239 for the Gulf Coast Expos that season, though he still stole 13 bases.
With the Cape Fear Crocs
Cape Fear Crocs
The Cape Fear Crocs were a minor league baseball team in Fayetteville, North Carolina. They were a low-A class team that played in the South Atlantic League, and were a farm team of the Montreal Expos for the franchise’s entire tenure as the Cape Fear Crocs. They played all of their home games at...
in and , he improved his average (.224, .287) each year and continued to steal bases at an amazing rate, swiping 64 bases in 2000. In , he started at the Expos High-A team in Jupiter
Jupiter Hammerheads
The Jupiter Hammerheads are a minor league baseball team based in Jupiter, Florida, named for the hammerhead shark.The team, which plays in the Florida State League, is the Class A Advanced affiliate of the Miami Marlins major-league club....
and hit .283 with 25 steals before being promoted to their Harrisburg
Harrisburg Senators
The Harrisburg Senators are a minor league baseball team based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals....
Double-A team.
On March 23, he was traded by the Expos to the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
along with pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Guillermo Mota
Guillermo Mota
Guillermo Reynoso Mota is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher. He stands tall and weighs . He throws and bats right-handed. Mota has played for the Montreal Expos, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Florida Marlins, the Cleveland Indians, the New York Mets, the Milwaukee Brewers and the San...
for Jorge Nunez and Matt Herges
Matt Herges
Matthew Tyler Herges is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher.Herges is an alumnus of Illinois State University and is the brother-in-law of former Major League Baseball player Todd Hollandsworth....
. He started the 2002 season with the Dodgers Double-A team in Jacksonville
Jacksonville Suns
The Jacksonville Suns are a minor league baseball team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The team is currently a member of the Southern League and is the class Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins Major League Baseball team...
where he hit .253 with 23 steals and finished the season with the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s
Las Vegas 51s
The Las Vegas 51s, formerly known as the Las Vegas Stars, are a minor league baseball team. They are the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. They play at Cashman Field in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team competes in the Pacific Coast League...
where he hit .327 with 12 steals in 40 games. That earned him a September call-up to the Dodgers major league roster. He made his major league debut on September 1 as a pinch runner
Pinch runner
A pinch runner is a baseball player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing a player on base. In the typical case, the pinch runner is faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been substituted...
. He got his first major league hit
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
the following day against the Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Arizona Diamondbacks are a professional baseball team based in Phoenix. They play in the West Division of Major League Baseball's National League. From 1998 to the present, they have played in Chase Field...
. He was primarily used as a pinch runner
Pinch runner
A pinch runner is a baseball player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing a player on base. In the typical case, the pinch runner is faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been substituted...
during his month-long stay in the big leagues.
In , he was the starting center fielder
Center fielder
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball fielding position between left field and right field...
for the Las Vegas 51s
Las Vegas 51s
The Las Vegas 51s, formerly known as the Las Vegas Stars, are a minor league baseball team. They are the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. They play at Cashman Field in Las Vegas, Nevada. The team competes in the Pacific Coast League...
all season, hitting .308 with a whopping 41 steals in 49 attempts. He had a couple of stints with the Dodgers in 2003 also, hitting .220 in limited opportunities.
However, he had a tough spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
in where he hit only .128 and wound up back in Jacksonville for the start of the season, hitting only .208 with 9 steals for the Suns, causing the Dodgers to release him on June 19, 2004.
On July 2, he was signed as a minor league free agent by the Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
and sent to their Double-A team in Wichita
Wichita Wranglers
The Wichita Wranglers were a minor league baseball team based in Wichita, Kansas. The team, which played in the Texas League, was the Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals major-league club from 1995 to 2007, and of the San Diego Padres from 1987 to 1994. The Wranglers played in...
where he rebounded slightly, hitting .276 with 11 steals. He remained at Wichita for the season, hitting .254 with 18 steals in somewhat limited playing time.
Released by the Royals after the 2005 season, he rejoined the Dodgers, signing to play once more with Jacksonville. He hit .260 with 18 steals as the starting center fielder for the Suns. In , he again started the season with Jacksonville, but was called up to Las Vegas in June, where he remained for . He became a free agent at the end of the season and signed a minor league contract with the Philadelphia Phillies on December 17, 2008.