CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) -- A guy who didn't catch a game until he was 18 years old commands so much respect that even Roy Halladay won't shake him off.
That's not a misprint.
Carlos Ruiz squatted behind the plate for the first time in his late teens after originally signing with the Philadelphia Phillies as a second baseman out of Panama in 1998.
He sure mastered the art pretty quickly.
Affectionately nicknamed "Chooch" by teammates, Ruiz draws high praise from a star-studded pitching staff that features Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels.
sign out Welcome,
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