Fans chant his name every time he comes to the plate, and he is undoubtedly a fan favorite. Still, Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz, better known as Chooch, does not get the credit he deserves. This year he is having his best season offensively. With a .291 average, he is third on the team in batting behind Jayson Werth and Placido Polanco. He also has 6 home runs and 35 rbis, not to mention a lot of clutch hits. He has really come through for the Phils this year in pressure situations and delivered key hits. While guys like Howard, Utley, Victorino, and Rollins have all been struggling at the plate, Ruiz has consistently batted at .290 or better. He has picked up the slack for the Phils offensively. Another thing that people don't realize about Ruiz is how good he is defensively. Not only does he have the ability to gun out runners trying to steal, but he is also very good at calling games for the pitchers. He knows what pitch to call at the right time. This past Thursday, the Phillies honored Roy Halladay for the perfect game he threw back in May. The Phillies presented him and his family with a lot of gifts. Halladay presented Ruiz with the home plate from the game and a ring inscribed with the message: "We did it together" The perfect game wouldn't have happened without Ruiz. He called a perfect game for Halladay, and the accomplishment speaks volumes about how great a catcher Ruiz is. I think this season Ruiz is really coming into his own as a big league catcher. He is proving that he can get it done offensively and defensively and is quickly becoming one of the best catchers in the MLB. So let's give it up for Chooch, the most underrated player on the Phillies. You deserve all the credit in the world.
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