Chicago White Sox: Jose Ruiz was actually decent in 2021

The Chicago White Sox bullpen all year was a roller coaster, to say the least. They were a team that had high hopes at the beginning of the year. For the bullpen to move in the right direction, they need to address a lot of shakiness and concerns that they experienced throughout the season.

Now the offseason is left with questions on what this bullpen really is. What’s telling is the fact that the roller coaster ride the bullpen went through, Jose Ruiz’s season went the same way. He was almost like a small version of the bullpen as a whole.

Jose Ruiz over the course of the season had a 3.05 ERA, played in 59 games, had 63 strikeouts, and a 1.17 WHIP. For Jose Ruiz, this was a successful season for him and he did some things that he can build on going forward. Ruiz, over the beginning of the season, was Mr. Reliable for the White Sox. Every time he came in you knew as a Sox fan you can count on him to get three outs.

Ruiz was brought over in 2017 from the Padres. Ever since he has been with the club, he has put up solid numbers posting over his career. His 3.94 ERA is not too shabby. However, Ruiz has had a few rough patches throughout the year as well which made him a question mark for most of the year. When he was good, he was great. He is perfect to have in games that aren’t necessarily high-leverage situations.

The Chicago White Sox watched Jose Ruiz have a really good year in 2021.

It will be interesting to see what Ruiz’s role is next season with certain guys coming back healthy and maybe some extra additions to the bullpen. Needles to say, I’m excited to see his growth and development as he has proved to the organization to be a reliable option for the bullpen if need be.

If Jose Ruiz is able to come in and be a solid pitcher again next year, the White Sox should have a really solid bullpen. They could use him as the last reliever in the bullpen which would mean that they are really deep. Hopefully, it continues into next year.