It’s been a pretty good couple of days for Texas Rangers outfielder and first baseman Ryan Rua. He was the hero Tuesday night in the miraculous 13-11 comeback win over the Chicago White Sox, smashing what would be the game-winning three-run homer in the Rangers' seven-run eighth inning.
He followed that with a couple of hits Wednesday as the Rangers took the series finale, 6-5, against the White Sox, the best team in the American League. One of those hits, a lead-off single in the third, started a rally which saw the Rangers take the lead for the first time in what would be another back-and-forth game.
Here’s what I like about Rua: he has a professional swing – solid form, solid contact, with a little bit of swag behind it. Rua looks and acts like a pro hitter and has put up some nice numbers in 16 games: .308 batting average, two home runs and six RBIs in 52 at-bats.
His versatility has also been a plus for the Rangers, playing both first base and left field with a canon of an arm and runs the bases well. You might remember Rua started in left for the Rangers on Opening Day in 2015, only to miss time afterwards due to a foot injury.
The 26-year-old Rua has the makeup to be a nice big league hitter. If he keeps it up at this pace, the Rangers will continue to find a spot for him in the lineup somewhere.
