Poncho Ruiz has solidified the catching position for the Cedar Rapids Kernels

CEDAR RAPIDS - It was a sacrifice.

Catcher Poncho Ruiz of the Cedar Rapids Kernels is from Tijuana, Mexico, but he and his family decided he should go to high school in the United States. So he attended Mater Dei Catholic High School in Chula Vista, Calif., just outside San Diego.

Ruiz was given documentation that allowed him to cross the border for classes and activities, then return home at day’s end. It’s about 10 miles from Tijuana to Mater Dei, and the school has many students from Mexico.

“I’d get up about 5:30 each morning,” Ruiz said. “My mom would have to drive me the first two years, then I’d drive with some friends the last two. That was good. Sometimes you’d be waiting in line for an hour and a half, two hours, and it was nice to have people to talk to.”

It definitely all worked out in the end. Ruiz graduated, excelled in baseball and got recruited to play in college at San Diego State. He played three years for the Aztecs and signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Minnesota Twins in July 2023

Even though he had another season of college eligibility to potentially boost his draft stock.

“I was just ready,” he said. “I knew I could finish school online.”

Which he did, obtaining a business administration degree from SDSU.

Ruiz, 23, has solidified the catching position for the Kernels since being promoted to high-Class A from low-A Fort Myers in late May, providing good at-bats and excelling defensively.

The Kernels have had issues this season preventing opponents from stealing bases. Part of that has been pitchers being slow to the plate, part of it has been having catchers who also played other positions in college learning a difficult position at the pro level.

Ruiz has tamped down the number of stolen bases against C.R., throwing out just under 30 percent of attempted stealers (13 of 46). Being fluent in English and Spanish is a boon also for Ruiz, as he’s able to communicate clearly with all Kernels pitchers.

“He’s a kid who was signed last year as a non-drafted free agent, signed for very little money, but he’s put together a really nice career so far with the Twins, just in terms of what he can do behind the plate,” said Kernels Manager Brian Meyer. “Obviously his arm is a big factor. Controlling the running game is something that we really struggled with, and our pitchers have gotten better with their times to the plate, which has helped.

“But it’s just his ability to keep the pitchers under control. The pitchers trust him, really enjoy throwing to him. He brings kind of some stability. He’s a guy who is an actual true catcher.”

Offensively Ruiz has been hitting in the cleanup spot recently for the Kernels. He’s hitting .247 in 28 games after hitting .296 in 31 games for Fort Myers.

Ruiz spent most of last season playing for Meyer at Fort Myers, also getting into 21 games for the Kernels.

“You can tell he is growing behind the plate, and he is putting together some solid at-bats,” said Meyer, pointing out how Ruiz played winter ball this past winter in his home country. “He is making some adjustments. In talking to C.J. (hitting coach C.J. Baker), something we did not see last year in Fort Myers was him expanding the zone. When he got here, he expanded the zone, was trying to do too much. But he has toned his strike zone down and is really honing in on what he can do offensively.”

The Kernels went into Saturday’s home game against Wisconsin on a seven-game win streak. They are a season-high 17 games over .500 at 52-35 overall, including 12-9 in the second half.

Cedar Rapids and Wisconsin conclude their brief three-game series Sunday afternoon at 1:05. After an off day Monday, Fort Wayne comes to town for six games, beginning Tuesday night.

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