The man on the other end wanted to know why Ruiz wasn't going to play for his country in the World Baseball Classic.
Ruiz explained that as much as he wanted to, he thought it would be best if he remained in Phillies camp and worked with the team's pitching staff throughout March.
The man on the other end of the telephone said he understood Ruiz's reasoning, but before hanging up asked the 30-year-old catcher to give it a little more thought.
"This is for your country," Martin Torrijos told Ruiz.
Ruiz quickly reconsidered. He will play in the WBC next month.
Why did he change his mind?
"Because I love Panama," he said yesterday.
And, besides, how could he have said no to his country's president?
Winning the World Series in October turned Ruiz into a national star in his homeland. On the night when Ruiz caught Brad Lidge's final strike of the Series, Torrijos, a big baseball fan, phoned Ruiz's mother and offered congratulations.
When Ruiz returned home to Panama, he was invited to the president's residence, Palacio de las Garzas, for a ceremony. Ruiz presented Torrijos with the jersey he wore in the final game of the World Series.
"It was very exciting," Ruiz said of an off-season that included a parade in his honor in David, his hometown in the province of Chiriqui.
Perhaps no Phillie has taken a longer or more improbable journey to the majors. Ruiz was discovered in 1998 by Phillies scout Allan Lewis, known as the Panamanian Express when he played for the Oakland A's. Ruiz was a second baseman in those days. Phillies international scouting boss Sal Agostinelli did not think Ruiz had the range to play the infield, but he liked the kid's arm.
"Can you catch?" Agostinelli asked Ruiz.
"I'll try," said Ruiz, who just wanted a chance.
Agostinelli worked out Ruiz behind the plate and signed him for $8,000 - or .001 percent of the $8 million that top draft pick Pat Burrell got that same year.
After a long minor-league gestation, Ruiz shared time behind the plate with Chris Coste in 2007 and most of 2008. Late last season, however, he emerged as the team's clear No. 1 catcher. Ironically, he rose to the top of the depth chart during a season in which his batting average slipped from .259 to .219.
While Ruiz's work at the plate declined, his work behind it was never better.
Phils manager Charlie Manuel and pitching coach Rich Dubee loved the job Ruiz did with the pitching staff - and taking charge of the men on the mound and running a game is still a catcher's top responsibility.
"He became a leader and took charge last year," Dubee said. "He's really grown in terms of calling a game, sticking to a game plan and adjusting it when he sees different things.
"I thought he did a great job late in games. Our bullpen has tremendous trust in his game-calling."
Original Story:
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/2...
