The Marlins have acquired outfielder Justin Ruggiano from the Astros in exchange for minor league catcher Jobduan Morales, according to Alyson Footer of the Astros (via Twitter).
Ruggiano, 30, appeared in 46 big league games for the Rays in 2011 before signing a minor league deal with the Astros in February. The outfielder was off to a strong start with Triple-A Oklahoma City this year, hitting .325/.409/.581 in 138 plate appearances.
Morales, 20, spent the bulk of the year with Miami's New York-Pennsylvania League affiliate, hitting .272/.385/.450 in 52 games. The switch-hitter was the Marlins' ninth-round pick in 2009.
youd think that the stros might have wanted to hold on to him as a cheap depth guy. he wasnt doing bad at AAA but then again a 20 yr old looks better on a team not competing for the next 5 years
Not competing for next 5 years? Have you looked at the standings lately? This is just a matter of Luhnow fleecing the Marlins.
20 year old switch-hitting catcher prospect who draws a lot of walks and doesn’t punch out often, for a 30-year-old non-prospect who’s never done anything at the MLB-level? Good job, Luhnow.
You realize the NYPL is basically Rookie ball don’t you? they only play a half season and only begin around middle of June.. If this kid was a decent prospect, he would have long ago have been in at least low A Ball, even if drafted out of HS.
The Marlins went out and got a retread type player for a guy who had pretty much -0- chance of ever making it anyway.
the kid is 20 years old. No one knows how good (or bad) he will be by age 22-24 At 20 kids are sill learning about hitting stronger pitching, fielding mechanics and such. At least he is still a prospect for the Astros. The 30 year old is past prospect status, and would of never been on the Astros major league team even if someone got hurt, with the way F. Martinez, Bixler and Moore are playing at AAA.
The reason he’s still so low in the system is that he’s still learning to be a catcher. It takes time, especially at that age. The odds are against him, but this kid is certainly a legitimate prospect and very young.
You realize that Jimmy Paredes came from the NYPL right? it’s rookie ball, but ruggiano is a classic AAAA player.
So did Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury when they 1st joined the system.. But that’s not the point.. What is, is that he has been in an organization for 3 seasons and is STILL playing at the NYPL…
Another smart move by Lunhow. If he keeps this up the rebuilding process is going to go smoother and faster. Thank you Jim Crane for hiring him…. now can you do something with Heck!!!
Lol Morales is horrible defensively and has no chance of ever advancing past AA ball. Justin R. is coming in hot off AAA and has a chance to make a splash on a team that needs OF depth bad, Id say Miami won this trade.
this begs the question: was the jobduan well?