Career
Known primarily for his speed, Ruan was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Montreal Expos on November 15, 1996. He hit .348 with 33 stolen bases for the Expos Dominican League team in 1997 before being brought to the states and placed in the Expos rookie ball team in 1998. 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.
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to freely sign with any club or franchise; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is allowed to solicit offers from other teams. In some circumstances, the free agent's options are limited by league rules.
The Montreal Expos were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (NL) East Division from 1969 until 2004. Following the 2004 season, the franchise relocated to Washington, D.C., and became the Washington Nationals.
With the Cape Fear Crocs in 1999 and 2000, he improved his average (.224, .287) each year and continued to steal bases at an amazing rate, swiping 64 bases in 2000. In 2001, 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.
The Cape Fear Crocs were a minor league baseball team in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
On March 23, 2002 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.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York, the team moved to Los Angeles before the 1958 season. They played for four seasons at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before moving to their current home of Dodger Stadium in 1962.
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws the 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 pitcher is assigned the number 1. The pitcher is often considered the most important player on the defensive side of the game, and as such is situated at the right end of the defensive spectrum. There are many different types of pitchers, such as the starting pitcher, relief pitcher, middle reliever, lefty specialist, setup man, and the closer.
In 2003, 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.
A center fielder, abbreviated CF, is the outfielder in baseball who plays defense in center field – the baseball and softball fielding position between left field and right field. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the center fielder is assigned the number 8.
However, he had a tough spring training in 2004 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.
In Major League Baseball (MLB), 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 established players practice time prior to competitive play. Spring training has always attracted fan attention, drawing crowds who travel to the warm climates of Arizona and Florida to enjoy the weather and watch their favorite teams play, and spring training usually coincides with spring break for many US college students.
The 2004 Major League Baseball season ended when the Boston Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in a four-game World Series sweep. This season was particularly notable since the Red Sox championship broke the 86-year-long popular myth known as the Curse of the Bambino. The Red Sox were also the first team in MLB history and the third team from a major North American professional sports league to ever come back from a 3–0 postseason series deficit, in the ALCS against the New York Yankees.
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 2005 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 2007, he again started the season with Jacksonville, but was called up to Las Vegas in June, where he remained for 2008. 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.
Stanley Julián Antonio Javier [hah-ve-ERR] is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. He is the son of long time St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Julián Javier, and was named after his father's teammate and close friend, Stan Musial.
Raúl Ramón Mondesí Avelino is a Dominican former politician who was the mayor of San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic, and a former professional baseball right fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 13 seasons, primarily for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and made his MLB debut with them in 1993. He was the National League (NL) Rookie of the Year in 1994, an MLB All-Star, and a two-time Rawlings Gold Glove Award winner. Known for his combination of power and speed, Mondesí twice achieved the 30–30 club. Also noted for his strong throwing arm, he led right fielders in his league in assists three times while registering over 100 in his career.
Juan D'Vaughn Pierre is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2000–2013 for the Colorado Rockies, Florida/Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox, and Philadelphia Phillies. Known for his speed, he stole 614 bases in his career, the 18th-most in MLB history at the time of his retirement. He worked as an MLB Network on-air analyst before joining the Marlins as a Minor League Outfield Coordinator for the 2019 season.
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Glenelg Edward Dishman is a former professional baseball pitcher.
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Devaris "Dee" Gordon is an American professional baseball second baseman, shortstop, and center fielder for the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Miami Marlins. With the Dodgers, Gordon was primarily a shortstop, and with the Marlins, he was primarily a second baseman. He began playing center field in 2018 with the Mariners. In 2015, in his first season with the Marlins, Gordon hit .333 with a total of 205 hits and stole 58 bases. He led the NL in all three categories and became the first NL player to lead the league in both batting average and stolen bases since fellow second baseman Jackie Robinson in 1949.
