Previewing the 2011 Phillies’ Roster, Part 1: Catcher

It’s safe to say no baseball season in all of my 21 years on this earth has gotten me as excited as this one. After spending most of the ‘90s watching a team that finished in last place (except for ’93), and a team in the first half of the ‘00s that always just missed the playoffs, the addition of Cliff Lee to an already formidable team makes the Phillies THE team to beat in 2011. This is the first of a series of articles I’ll be doing in which I break down and preview the Phillies’ roster, starting with catcher, then infield, outfield, starting pitching, relief pitching, and finally managing. Catcher, Carlos Ruiz Carlos Ruiz enters 2011 as his sixth in Philadelphia after taking over as the heir to Mike Lieberthal following the ’06 season. Ruiz has quietly established himself as one of the premier catchers in all of the major leagues for his tremendous work both offensively and defensively. Jayson Stark recently called Ruiz the most underrated player in the game while an MLB scout s...