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The Philadelphia Phillies have exercised catcher Carlos Ruiz’s $5 million option for the 2013 season, reports Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer:
The Phillies exercised Carlos Ruiz's $5 million option for 2013 this morning. Now, back to the weather.
— Matt Gelb (@magelb) October 29, 2012
The move was expected as Ruiz had a career campaign in 2012. The 33-year-old hit .325/.394/.540 with 32 doubles and 16 home runs over 372 at-bats. Prior to this season, he had maintained a career line of .265/.357/.393 over his six years with the Phillies.
Ruiz was behind only San Francisco Giants National League MVP candidate Buster Posey in OPS among major league catchers. His 48 extra-base hits was good for sixth in the league among backstops, though he registered at least 100 less plate appearances than the five players ahead of him.
Ruiz was one of the few bright spots for the Phillies this season, as his production earned him a trip to the 2012 All-Star Game. It will be interesting to see if he can continue his impressive output next season or if he regresses back to his career norms.