Darin Ruf to Japan?

What a weird career for Darin Ruf, huh? At one point in time he was the Phillies guy. After tearing it up in the minors, he was gonna come up and take over at first base, but that Ryan Howard fella was in his way. So the Phils thought we NEED this guy, let's put him in left, and he kind of just never turned into the guy we thought he was.

At times hitting monster home runs out in CBP, Ruf never appeared to me to be our long term first baseman. But now with Tommy Joseph anchoring down the right side of the infield, what's in store Ruf? At 30 years old, he puts the Phils in a tough spot. Ruf can no longer be optioned to the minor leagues, and instead must be designated for assignment. This offseason will be the deciding factor for his future as the Phils could keep Ruf for insurance at first base or he could become a minor-league free agent. If that happens, Ruf could try to sign with another team or head to Japan.

While hitting 20 homers during his time at AAA Lehigh Valley this summer, Ruf noticed plenty of Japanese scouts in the stands. If he can't find another team to play for in America, which is obviously ideal, Darin can find himself a sweet deal playing in Japan. Plenty of players have had the opportunity and they go on to make an impressive living jacking homers for our WWII rivals. Most notably, Matt Stairs, the 2008 Phillies legend played in Japan for a few years and has always had good things to say about playing in Japan. And I'm sorry Darin, but Matt Stairs is on my mind now and this blog can only end in one way. It's 10:30 am, but let's send on into the night!

P.S. Love Joe Buck's lack of excitement for a top of the 8th 2 run home run in Game 4 of the NLCS. Joe Buck is the WORST