Darin attended Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska, where he lettered three years in baseball and football, and two in basketball, earning all-state honors in both football and baseball as a senior. And all-conference in football and basketball after his junior and senior seasons.

Ruf tied the school record for home runs in a season (7) and career (15) and holds the record for most walks in a season.

June 2009: Ruf signed with the Phillies after they chose him in the 20th round of the draft, out of Creighton University. He received just $2,500 as a bonus.

In 2011, Ruf married Libby Schuring.

In 2012, the 26-year-old Ruf burst on the scene when he started hitting bombs with regularity at Double-A Reading, earning the nickname “Babe.” He smacked 38 homers, including 20 in August. His 38 homers at Reading broke Ryan Howard’s former club record.

In September, he hit three more homers in 33 at-bats with the Phillies.

Then he tore up the Venezuelan League in winter ball.

Darin's breakout 2012 season brought on legend. The Reading Phillies (EL) responded by producing “Babe Ruf” T-shirts. Some teammates also had “Ruffy The Ball Slayer” T-shirts, and he was also called “Ruf The Magic Dragon.”

In 2012, the Phillies named Ruf their Paul Owens Award winner as the best player in their farm system.

In 2013, Ruf started the season in Triple-A with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. But he was recalled by the Phillies on July 6 when Ryan Howard was placed on the disabled list.

In the minor leagues, he was named a Baseball America Double-A All-Star.

At the major league level, he finished fifth among rookies with 14 home runs, nine of which were in August, the most among any major league player during that stretch. Of his 70 starts at the major league level, 28 were at first base, 27 in right field, and 16 in left field, while of his 78 starts in Triple-A, 59 came in left field and 19 came at first base.

Ruf struggled to find a spot on the Phillies roster at which he could contribute, despite strong performance: "Even after proving he can be a productive offensive contributor and showing his defensive versatility, Ruf's spot in the Phils’ lineup may not be locked in for next season." one columnist wrote. For the season, he batted .247/.348/.458.  (Wikipedia)

Entering the 2014 season, he was set to compete for a spot on the bench, as Amaro declared that he was not good enough, particularly defensively, to play every day. However, the Phillies placed him on the disabled list (DL) due to a strained oblique; his estimated recovery time was around the end of April or the beginning of May.

When Ruf returned, he played for the IronPigs, but suffered another injury on June 3, fracturing his left wrist when sliding into the wall while playing left field. He returned to the major league Phillies on July 22 when John Mayberry, Jr. landed on the disabled list, but struggled in his first several games; in his first 17 at-bats, he had just two hits. Nevertheless, the Phillies toyed with platooning him with Ryan Howard, who was also struggling, at first base, and Ruf also played two innings at third base.

Overall, Ruf amassed only 117 major league plate appearances, batting .235/.310/.402, and was significantly hindered by injuries. (Wikipedia)

As 2015 began, Ruf once again had to fight for playing time; there was no clear opening for him on the Phillies' roster, notwithstanding the fact that he was one of the few players on the roster with the ability to hit for power. For the season, he batted .235/.300/.414. He had the lowest batting average against right-handers among all MLB hitters (140 or more plate appearances), at .158. (Wikipedia)

May 10, 2015: It's not every Mother's Day that Mary Ruf gets to see her son. In fact, it's sort of just this one. For the first time in the seven years since her son, Phillies outfielder Darin Ruf, has been in professional baseball, Mary and Darin were in the same place for the holiday, as the Phillies flew Mary into town.

The not-so-intimate 27,935-person setting wasn't conducive for much interaction, however. "I haven't spoken to Darin before the game," Mary said. "I'll speak to him after it's all over." Even if the two weren't able to communicate early in the day, the occasion was still special for the pair.

"It's awesome when your family can come watch you play, especially on a day like today," Darin said. "I wish I could've done a little bit better for her, but it's great of the Phillies to do that for her and my family, and I'm very thankful for that.

"Darin finished the day 0-for-4 with two flyouts and two groundouts to shortstop. However, Mary said statistics wasn't what she was looking for from her son. "I think he's going to try to do something special for everyone here," Mary said before the game. "[I just want him to] have fun and try to do his best." For the mother and son who had the opportunity to reunite at the ballpark, the day was nice, if not a little too short. "[She's] actually flying out tonight," Darin said. "She has to get back to work on Monday." (Suss - mlb.com - 5/10/15)

2016 season: On May 13, 2016, Ruf was optioned to Triple-A to make room on the roster for Tommy Joseph. With Lehigh Valley he was second in the league with 20 home runs, 5th with a .529 slugging percentage, and 7th with 65 RBIs. (Wikipedia)

He was named an MiLB.com Organization All Star. For the season in the major leagues, he batted .205/.236/.337. On November 11, 2016, Ruf was traded to the Dodgers (along with Darnell Sweeney) in exchange for Howie Kendrick

2017-19 seasons: On February 17, 2017, Ruf's $1.1 million contract with the Dodgers was sold to the Samsung Lions of the KBO League. In his first season in South Korea, Ruf batted .315/.396/.569 and led the Korea Baseball Organization with 124 RBIs while also hitting 38 doubles (5th) and 31 home runs (6th).

He was re-signed for the 2018 season at $1.5 million. In 2018 he batted .330/.419/.605 with 33 home runs (8th) and 125 RBIs (tied for 2nd) and 65 walks (6th) with a 1.024 OPS (3rd). (Wikipedia)

May 18, 2020: After three successful seasons in South Korea, Darin Ruf returned stateside this offseason to take another shot at the Majors. He signed a Minor League deal with the Giants in January and was making a serious push for a roster spot when Spring Training camps were shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, Ruf has come to view the stoppage as a blessing in disguise. With baseball on hold, Ruf headed home to Omaha, Neb., where he and his wife, Libby, welcomed their first daughter, Olive, on March 27. Had the regular season been underway, Ruf would have been allowed to miss a maximum of three games while on paternity leave. Instead, he has been present for the first couple months of Olive’s life and spent quality time with his 4-year-old son, Henry.

“There's been a much bigger silver lining for me than probably most people,” Ruf said during a recent phone interview. “I’m definitely blessed that I got to be here for as long as I have. I really get to enjoy the family time.”

Ruf, 33, cited his growing family as the driving force behind his decision to return to the United States following a three-year stint with the KBO’s Samsung Lions. He hit .313 with a .968 OPS and 86 home runs over 404 games.

“That was the biggest factor,” Ruf said. “The fact that Libby was due in early April. I knew I didn't want to be halfway across the world, having to scramble back or maybe not make it back in time. That was a big factor in coming back.”

Major League Baseball continues to monitor national developments and explore paths for a potential return to play, but Ruf’s former KBO club is already back in action. Two weeks ago, the KBO became one of the first leagues to resume play during the pandemic, with the Lions facing off against the NC Dinos in an Opening Day matchup that was broadcast on ESPN.

The 14-hour time difference between Daegu and Omaha kept Ruf from tuning into the live broadcast, but he recorded the game and later turned to his old teammates for his baseball fix. Ruf said he knew “very, very little” about the KBO when the Lions first expressed interest in signing him ahead of the 2017 season.

“I thought going into that offseason I would more than likely go to Japan because I knew some teams had been scouting me in Triple-A that year,” Ruf said. “But I had no idea about KBO teams scouting me, so I didn't really dive into much information on the league. Once Samsung reached out, I tried to do as much research as I could real quickly.

“The scout that ended up signing me showed me the video of the games he was in attendance for. I think I hit four homers in the three games he was at. I’m like, ‘Well, yeah, no wonder you went out of your way to try to sign me.’ It was kind of funny when he showed me that. He was like, ‘I want to see you do this.’”

Ruf ultimately delivered, emerging as a prolific slugger for the Lions, though he said adjusting to a new country and league initially proved difficult.

“I showed up halfway through Spring Training, so everything was a big rush for me to get ready for the season, to meet my teammates, learn their names, get to know them and then try to get to know the league, as well,” Ruf said. “Performance-wise, I really struggled my first month. Then I got sent down to the Minors for 10 days, where I really got the opportunity to collect myself and just take a breath. I tried to figure out what I needed to do to be successful in the league, and luckily when I got called back up, I played much better.”

Despite differences in the level of play and approaches to coaching, Ruf said he appreciated his time in Korea and is happy to see the KBO receive more exposure in the United States. He tries to wake up around 6 a.m. every day to catch the tail end of whatever KBO game is airing on ESPN. He mentioned Kim Hyun-soo and Yoo Kang-nam of the LG Twins, Kang Baek-ho of the KT Wiz and Park Sok-min of the Dinos as some of his favorite players to watch.

Ruf is eager to return to the field and has been trying to keep his body in baseball shape by working out in the weight room and hitting outside at his old high school. Ruf maintains regular contact with the Giants’ coaching staff, including first-base coach Antoan Richardson, who leads a Zoom call for the club’s outfielders on Thursdays.

Ruf, a first baseman and corner outfielder, opened eyes by hitting .429 with three homers, five doubles and one triple over 14 Cactus League games this spring. With expanded rosters and a universal designated hitter potentially on the table this year, the Giants could have more flexibility to carry another big right-handed bat and give Ruf a chance to play in the big leagues for the first time since 2016.

“From a personal, selfish standpoint, to get a few more opportunities to make the team and chances to get a few more at-bats that I might not get, I’d be all for it,” Ruf said. “I think a lot of people around America would benefit from seeing a live baseball game here and there. I hope it works out. I understand if it doesn't from a health perspective, but I would love to get on the field. I'm sure a lot of players would, as well.” (M Guardado - MLB.com - May 18, 2020)

2020 Season: Stats - 40 games, 100 plate appearances, .276/.370/.517, .887 OPS, 5 home runs, 18 RBI, 13 walks to 23 strikeouts

143 OPS+, 141 wRC+, 0.5 rWAR, 0.7 fWAR

Status throughout the season: Ruf made the Opening Day roster, and stayed on the active roster all season long.

Season review: The Giants signed Ruf to a Minor League deal, hoping that his dynamic three-year run in the KBO would lead to MLB success that had escaped him earlier in his career. While in the KBO, Ruf had shown stark improvements in the two most important elements of modern hitting: plate discipline and power.

Small sample sizes apply, but in 2020 Ruf looked like he was still in the KBO. Just look at the trends from 2014-16 (with the Philadelphia Phillies), 2017-19 (with the Samsung Lions), and 2020 (with the Giants).

Home run power:2014-16: 18 home runs in 503 PAs (one home run every 27.9 PAs)2017-19: 86 home runs in 1,756 PAs (one home run every 20.4 PAs)2020: 5 home runs in 100 PAs (one home run every 20 PAs)

Extra-base power:

2014-16: 40 extra-base hits in 503 PAs (one extra-base hit every 12.6 PAs)

2017-19: 200 extra-base hits in 1,756 PAs (one extra-base hit every 8.8 PAs)

2020: 11 extra-base hits in 100 PAs (one extra-base hit every 9.1 PAs)

Plate discipline:

2014-16: 33 walks to 126 strikeouts (3.8 strikeouts for every walk)

2017-19: 205 walks to 301 strikeouts (1.5 strikeouts for every walk)

2020: 13 walks to 23 strikeouts (1.8 strikeouts for every walk)

Again, the sample size is small, though it’s bolstered ever so slightly by his ridiculous Spring Training performance, when it seemed like he had more opposite field extra-base hits than at-bats.

It also helped that Ruf returned to an MLB landscape that had changed since he left it. In 2016, Ruf — a righty batter — had nearly twice as many plate appearances against right-handed pitchers than left-handed ones. Upon his return in 2020, that was reversed, with 65% of his plate appearances coming when he had a handedness advantage. On the one hand, that context helps explain his stats, and make it look less like improvement; on the other hand, it makes it look like Ruf’s game is more suited to this era than the previous one, and that provides some reason to expect his success to hold going forward. Value is value, whether it comes from an improvement in ability or from an increased understanding of how to properly apply that ability.

Either way, the combination of Ruf’s talent and the way he was deployed resulted in a stellar offensive weapon. Excluding some of his 2020 teammates, Ruf’s 143 OPS+ was the highest of any Giant with at least 50 plate appearances since ... Jarrett Parker in 2015.

I’m not sure that stat had quite the punch to it that I was hoping for.

Anyway, watch some highlights and marvel at the fact that I made it nearly 500 words into this article before making a diamond in the Ruf joke. (Brady Klopfer@BradyKlopferNBA - Nov 29, 2020)

2021 Season: 262, that is the number of batters who reached the substantial amount of 300 plate appearances in the Major Leagues this year. These players all had varying skills, which reflects in their offensive outputs. Let’s start with a simple one: games played. Of those 262 batters, 226 appeared in at least 100 games. Of those 262, 139 hit at least 15 home runs, while just 22 batters did so with an OBP of .375 or higher. In addition, just 47 had a slugging percentage of .500 or higher. 26 of those batters had an xwOBA of at least .375, and just nine had a walk percentage over 14.5 percent. Finally, of those 262, only 23 had a wRC+ of at least 140.

How many players fit in every single one of those categories? Three. Bryce Harper, Juan Soto, and Darin Ruf. Two of those names are probably a lot more familiar with you than the third. Harper just took home his second National League MVP. Soto turned 23 merely two months ago and is already a better hitter than your favorite player. But Ruf? Unless you are a Giants fan or Phillies fan, his story may be a new one for you.

An Unlikely Path to Success: A native of Omaha, Ruf was drafted in the 20th round back in 2009 out of Creighton by Philadelphia. He debuted with the Phillies in 2012. The next season was by far his best as a Phillie, as he hit 14 home runs with a 122 OPS+. However, things derailed quickly, as Ruf would be out of the league by 2016. Ruf would travel to Korea after posting a .747 OPS over five seasons.

Luckily, the Samsung Lions were miracle workers for Ruf. Over three seasons in the KBO, he hit 86 home runs with a .404 OBP and a .968 OPS. Of course, this is not the same as doing it in Major League Baseball, but be patient. Ruf was given a minor league deal with the Giants before 2020, which of course became a shortened season. On a bad team, he made a decent first impression, with an OPS of .887 in exactly 100 Plate Appearances.

 No Spot: As the designated hitter was taken away from the National League again after a brief stay in 2020, Ruf saw himself blocked at the two positions that he plays, first base and corner outfield. Brandon Belt had an amazing season at first and is back for 2022 after accepting the qualifying offer. He was often injured, which gave Ruf a spot for portions of the season.

Mike Yastrzemski held up one corner outfield position. Rotating with Ruf for the other were the likes of LaMonte Wade Jr., Austin Slater, Alex Dickerson, and Mike Tauchman. The chance at an everyday job shortened up even more after Kris Bryant was acquired from the Cubs. This forced Ruf into a consistent pinch-hitting role. As a team, the Giants were amazing pinch hitters, with 18 home runs. No other team had more than 10 while pinch-hitting. Their 69 hits were second to just the Cubs.

Unfortunately for Ruf, pinch-hitting is not his strength, which is true for most players. His 39 pinch-hitting at-bats were tied for 12th in the league and first on San Francisco, but he had just six hits, for a .154 average. Although the Giants have helped him regain his career, you have to wonder if Ruf would be better off in the American League or just on another, less competitive team.

Road Warrior: Another reason to think that Ruf would be better off elsewhere is that he has insane home and road splits. However, he was a much better hitter away from Oracle Park. At home, Ruf was a slightly above average hitter, with a .768 OPS and a 115 wRC+. Outside of San Francisco, he had a 1.067 OPS with a 179 wRC+. The biggest home/road difference came against lefties, with the wRC+ difference being 107 to 231. These numbers prove that even at Oracle Park, Ruf was a good hitter. But put him just about anywhere else, and he is elite.

These numbers reflect those of Willy Adames, who broke out with the Brewers after a trade from the Rays. In 2020 alone, Adames’ 136 road wRC+ was 51 points higher than his Tropicana Field number. Of course, there are differences between Ruf and Adames. Adames was a former top prospect who is 26-years-old with three years of MLB service time under his belt, while Ruf is nearly halfway between 35 and 36.

That last sentence does bring up some of the worries with Ruf in the future. He is 35 years old. Most players are already well into their decline by now. Ruf is not, but he could be soon. And while the stats show that Ruf is better when he is playing away from home, leaving the Giants might not be such a good idea. We saw them reinvent other veteran hitters like Belt, Brandon Crawford, Buster Posey, and Evan Longoria in 2021. Another club might not be as successful in helping him.

As he ages, Ruf’s bat speed and pure strength could also see a hit. As he gets older, it should be harder for him to get back to the 93.1 mph average exit velocity and 54.9 percent hard-hit rate that he just accomplished in 2021. The even scarier thought is that this could all be a fluke. Sure, Ruf has a .900 OPS on the dot since returning to America. But he has only had 412 Plate Appearances with the Giants. That isn’t even a full starting season.

Thankfully, there is one trait that does not seem to fade with age. And luckily for Ruf, it is one of his greatest strengths: his plate discipline. His 14.7 percent walk rate was 12th in the league among the 262 batters. That has allowed Ruf to raise his OBP to .385. If he can have an OBP that ridiculously high, then Ruf will still be an effective player. If a multitude of stats put you in a group with just Bryce Harper and Juan Soto, that is probably a good thing. Darin Ruf is a great hitter.  (Carter LaCorte - Dec 30, 2021)

2022 Season:  In 74 plate appearances after his trade to the Mets, Ruf had a putrid .413 OPS, managed only three extra-base hits (all doubles) and created a black hole in the lineup whenever he played.

Ruf has a strong track record of hitting left-handed pitching over eight MLB seasons. His career OPS against lefties is .891 and his slash line in that span is a solid .272/.367/.523. On paper, he should be the perfect complement to Vogelbach, who torches right-handed pitching but can’t touch lefties.

 But alas, there was last season, when Ruf slashed .222/.322/.430 for the Giants and Mets against lefties. Was that an aberration? The Mets seem bent on giving the 36-year-old the benefit of the doubt, even as he opens spring training with a wrist issue.  (Jim Cerny - Feb. 25, 2023)

Ruf's plus power will play in the big leagues. But he may not hit more than .260 unless he can improve his reads on breaking balls and extend his plate coverage to the outer half. (Spring 2013)

Darin is a first baseman. But the Phillies started him in left field 29 times late in the 2013 season. With Ryan Howard at first base, the team felt left field could provide Ruf another path to the big leagues.

“I think we can get him to average defender in left field. He won’t ever have average foot speed, but if you hit enough, you’ll take a little less range in the outfield,” Reading manager Dusty Wathan said.

Ruf is only fringe to average on defense at first base. In left field, he won't impress you. But he does catch the balls he gets too. And his arm is playable. He needs experience to become adequate in left field, but he should get there.

To be adequate, he will need to improve his reads off the bat. His slow first step, below average speed, and slow release make him a liability anywhere but first base, right now. (February 2014)

March 20-May 14, 2014: Ruf suffered a strain to An MRI on the oblique muscle revealed that Ruf has between a Grade 1 and 2 strain.  

Ruf said he had been feeling some tightness in his oblique for about a week, but he did not consider anything serious, so he made no mention to the athletic training staff. He felt he would be fine if he simply took more time to warm up and stretch before workouts and games.

"It was one swing during batting practice that kind of took it to another level," Ruf said. "Just when I was experiencing tightness, that kind of crossed my mind," Ruf said.

June 4-July 6, 2014: Darin was on the D.L. with a right knee laceration.

May 27-June 21, 2021: Ruf was on the IL with right hammy strain.

Sept 20-30, 2021: Ruf was on the IL with a right oblique strain.