1. Overview
Ryan Anthony Rua (born March 11, 1990) is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman. Primarily known for his versatility, he also played third base and second base. Drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 17th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft, Rua made his professional debut in the minor leagues and advanced through the Rangers' system, reaching Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2014. He played his entire MLB career with the Rangers before becoming a free agent in 2018. His career highlights include hitting an inside-the-park home run and making a unique pitching appearance.
2. Early Life and Amateur Career
Ryan Anthony Rua was born on March 11, 1990. He attended Marion L. Steele High School in Amherst, Ohio. After high school, he continued his academic and athletic career at Lake Erie College, a NCAA Division II institution. While at Lake Erie College, Rua distinguished himself as a baseball player, becoming the first player in the school's history to be drafted by a Major League Baseball team.
3. Professional Career
Ryan Rua's professional baseball career began in 2011 after being drafted by the Texas Rangers. He progressed through various levels of minor league baseball before making his Major League debut, and continued to play for the Rangers at the highest level until he became a free agent.
3.1. Minor League
Rua was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 17th round, 534th overall, of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft. Following his signing, he made his professional debut that same year with the Arizona League Rangers, a rookie-level affiliate. He also played for the A-level Spokane Indians. In a combined 52 games across both teams in 2011, he batted .303 with a .376 on-base percentage and a .484 slugging percentage, hitting four home runs and recording 37 RBI along with 10 stolen bases.
In 2012, Rua returned to the Spokane Indians, where he played in 74 games, achieving a batting average of .293, a .368 on-base percentage, and a .432 slugging percentage, alongside seven home runs, 43 RBI, and four stolen bases. During this period in the minor leagues, Rua primarily played third base and second base.
The 2013 season saw Rua start with the A-level Hickory Crawdads. By the end of June, he led all minor league players in home runs. On August 9, he was promoted to the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders. He concluded the year with a combined 127 games across both teams, batting .247 with a .347 on-base percentage and a .525 slugging percentage, hitting 32 home runs, 91 RBI, and 14 stolen bases. In the offseason, he participated in the Arizona Fall League, playing for the Surprise Saguaros.
Rua began the 2014 season back with the Frisco RoughRiders. He also played for the Triple-A Round Rock Express that year. Across both minor league affiliates, he played in 129 games, posting a .306 batting average, 18 home runs, 74 RBI, and six stolen bases before being called up to the Major Leagues.
3.2. Major League
Ryan Rua received his first call-up to Major League Baseball (MLB) on August 29, 2014, making his debut on the same day as a first baseman against the Houston Astros. He secured his first career hit with an infield single and finished his debut game going 1-for-5 with one run scored. On September 21, 2014, Rua hit his first career home run, a solo shot off Angels' closer Huston Street, contributing to a 2-1 victory for the Rangers. In 2014, he appeared in 28 MLB games, batting .295 with two home runs, 14 RBI, and one stolen base.
In 2015, Rua made the Rangers' Opening Day roster. On Opening Day, he recorded the only base hit for the Rangers in their 8-0 loss to the Oakland Athletics. However, he later suffered an ankle injury that led to a long absence from play. On July 30, 2015, Rua hit an inside-the-park home run against the New York Yankees in the bottom of the fourth inning, tying the game 5-5. The Rangers went on to win the game 7-6 after a walk-off hit by Josh Hamilton. For the 2015 season, he played in 28 games, batting .193 with four home runs and seven RBI.
Before Opening Day 2016, Rua was again informed that he had secured a spot on the roster. He initially started as a bench player. As April progressed, manager Jeff Banister increasingly trusted Rua as an everyday player. When center fielder Delino DeShields, Jr. was sent to Triple-A on May 13, Ian Desmond shifted to center field, and Rua took over the left field position. On May 10, 2016, he hit a 3-run home run in the 8th inning against the Chicago White Sox, capping the largest Rangers' comeback since 2012 in a 13-11 victory. Despite this, Rua began to struggle again, and by the end of May, he had lost his starting left field job to Nomar Mazara. In 99 games in 2016, Rua batted .258 with eight home runs and 22 RBI, along with nine stolen bases without being caught.
In the subsequent two seasons (2017 and 2018), Rua frequently moved between the minor league affiliates and the Rangers' main roster. In 2017, he appeared in 63 games, batting .217 with three home runs, 12 RBI, and two stolen bases. Notably, on July 23, 2018, Rua made a rare pitching appearance, throwing a scoreless inning and recording one strikeout. In 61 games for the Rangers in 2018, he batted .194 with six home runs and 12 RBI, along with three stolen bases. On November 2, 2018, Rua was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to Triple-A. He subsequently elected free agency on the same day.
4. Playing Style and Characteristics
Ryan Rua is primarily an outfielder and first baseman, but he is recognized for his versatility as a utility player. Throughout his career, especially in the minor leagues, he also played third base and second base. In the Major Leagues, in addition to his primary positions, he had opportunities to play center field and right field.
In 2016, he played 60 games in left field, recording a .987 fielding percentage with one error and a DRS of +2, indicating a solid defensive performance. He also played 31 games at first base, where his DRS was -2, which was slightly below average. His nickname among players and media is RynoEnglish.
5. Statistical Overview
5.1. Batting Statistics
| Year | Team | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | TB | RBI | SB | CS | SAC | SF | BB | IBB | HBP | SO | GDP | AVG | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | TEX | 28 | 109 | 105 | 11 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 44 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 6 | .295 | .321 | .419 | .740 |
| 2015 | TEX | 28 | 86 | 83 | 10 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 33 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 2 | .193 | .221 | .398 | .619 |
| 2016 | TEX | 99 | 269 | 240 | 40 | 62 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 96 | 22 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 2 | 6 | 76 | 8 | .258 | .331 | .400 | .731 |
| 2017 | TEX | 63 | 144 | 129 | 17 | 28 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 43 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 3 | .217 | .294 | .333 | .627 |
| 2018 | TEX | 61 | 147 | 139 | 17 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 50 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 53 | 2 | .194 | .221 | .360 | .580 |
| MLB Total (5 years) | 279 | 755 | 696 | 95 | 164 | 29 | 2 | 23 | 266 | 67 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 45 | 2 | 8 | 231 | 21 | .236 | .289 | .382 | .671 | |
5.2. Jersey Numbers
Throughout his professional baseball career with the Texas Rangers, Ryan Rua wore the following uniform number:
- 16 (2014-2018)
6. Personal Life
In recognition of his achievements, Ryan Rua's number 2 jersey was retired by his alma mater, Marion L. Steele High School in Amherst, Ohio, in 2015. He was the first athlete from the school to have his jersey retired.