‘He’s one of us:’ How José Alvarado has helped José Ruiz strengthen his mind and attack hitters

DENVER — Just over a week ago, Orion Kerkering, Matt Strahm, and Gregory Soto were sitting in the Phillies clubhouse, watching their team play the New York Mets. It was a busy night for the bullpen. Taijuan Walker had been hit by a comebacker in the fourth inning and exited his start early.

By the end of the ninth inning, manager Rob Thomson had already used five relievers: Strahm, Kerkering, Soto, Jeff Hoffman, and José Ruiz. The game was tied, 4-4, and going into extras.

When Ruiz came back out for the 10th, Strahm turned to his teammates.

“We’re going to see if he’s a no-heartbeat guy,” he said.

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The right-handed reliever quickly showed them that he was. With a ghost runner on second base, Ruiz retired Tyrone Taylor and Pete Alonso on back-to-back groundouts and struck out Francisco Lindor to end the inning.

“He’s one of us!” Strahm yelled.

Ruiz pumped his fist and jumped in the air. Throwing with conviction has not always been easy for him, but in Philadelphia, it’s all he’s done. The results have followed. Ruiz has a 2.25 ERA in eight innings, with seven strikeouts and only two walks. Hitters are batting .154 against him.

This didn’t happen by accident. When Ruiz was acquired in November, the Phillies saw potential. He throws the ball hard — at an average fastball velocity of 96.3 mph — but he struck batters out at an 18.8% clip last season, which seemed low.

The Phillies, who open a three-game series at the Colorado Rockies on Friday night, didn’t see a need to dramatically change his pitch usage, but they did see a need to change his mindset. They weren’t the only ones. Ruiz said bullpen mate José Alvarado has helped him trust his stuff.

“I talk to Alvarado a lot,” Ruiz said. “He has helped improve my mindset. I’m more focused on attacking hitters now. Trying to keep it simple. Just attack the hitter.

“I was thinking a lot on the mound before. When I threw the ball, I didn’t have as much confidence behind it. But this year has been completely different. I’m just trying to attack the batter, and if I throw a bad pitch, I just make an adjustment so the next one is better.”

Alvarado played a role in Ruiz signing a minor-league contract with the Phillies in the first place. They were teammates on Team Venezuela in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and have the same agent, Felix Olivo. When Alvarado heard there was a lot of interest in Ruiz this offseason, he reached out to Olivo.

“I told him, ‘Look, if he signs with Philadelphia, he’s signing with a great organization,’” Alvarado said. “‘And if he’s prepared and does his work, he’ll get opportunities.’”

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Throughout spring training, Alvarado encouraged Ruiz to put more trust in his pitches. Ruiz didn’t make the team out of camp, but Alvarado reassured him that if he worked on his mindset, he would be back in the big leagues.

Ruiz is a 29-year-old journeyman, so starting his season in triple A was not what he’d hoped for. But he used his time with Lehigh Valley to heed his teammate’s advice.

“I told him, ‘Sometimes, it’s not your best day,’” Alvarado said. “‘The pitches aren’t going where you want them to. But I told him, ‘Don’t hesitate to throw your best pitch, your sinker, and then you have the breaking ball and you can do what you want with the batter. Don’t doubt yourself. Do not doubt. Just adjust your pitches and throw them without fear.’

”He has to have trust in himself, trust in his pitches, and trust in the players [behind him].”

Ruiz recorded a 1.64 ERA and 13 strikeouts with the IronPigs, and, on May 3, he was called up. He has raised his big-league strikeout rate from 18.8% in 2023 to 24.1% in 2024 and dropped his walk rate to 6.9%. He is allowing less hard contact and inducing more ground balls. Things are trending in the right direction.

Ruiz said there is another reason for his success. Since 2017, he has pitched for four teams — the Padres, White Sox, Diamondbacks, and Phillies. He has been with the Phillies for only a few weeks, but this clubhouse already feels comfortable to him.

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“The whole team, whether they’re Latinos or not, we all have good communication and get along very well,” Ruiz said. “I feel happy here. I feel like I’m home. There are a lot of superstars, but everyone treats each other very well. It’s not like anyone is above anyone else. We’re a family, on and off the field.”