Norge Luis Ruiz Loyola (born March 15, 1994) is a Cuban professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

who is a free agent. He has previously played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

Career

Ruiz was selected to play for the

Cuba national baseball team The Cuba national baseball team () represents Cuba at regional and international levels. The team is generally made up of players from the domestic Cuban national baseball system, though it has at times included professional players who defect ...

at the

2014 Central American and Caribbean Games The 22nd Central American and Caribbean Games were held November 14–30, 2014 in Veracruz, Mexico.Sport page< ...

. Ruiz played in the

Cuban National Series The Cuban National Series (, or SNB) is a domestic baseball competition in Cuba. Formed after the dissolution of the Cuban League in the wake of the Cuban Revolution, the National Series is a part of the Cuban baseball league system. For most ...

for

Camagüey Camagüey () is a city and municipality in central Cuba and is the nation's third-largest city with more than 333,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Camagüey Province. It was founded as Santa María del Puerto del Príncipe in 1514, by Sp ...

. He won the Cuban National Series Rookie of the Year Award for 2012/2013. In May 2015, Ruiz left Cuba to pursue a contract with a

(MLB) organization. Ruiz won with his national team, the gold medal of the

2014 Central American and Caribbean Games The 22nd Central American and Caribbean Games were held November 14–30, 2014 in Veracruz, Mexico.Sport page< ...

in Veracruz, Mexico.

Oakland Athletics

Ruiz signed a minor league contract with the

on December 23, 2016, that included a $2 million signing bonus. Ruiz made his professional debut in 2017 with the

Dominican Summer League Athletics The Dominican Summer League Athletics or DSL Athletics are a Minor League Baseball team of the Dominican Summer League that began play in 1989 as a rookie-level affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Boca Chica, Santo Domingo, Dominican Re ...

and was promoted to the

Arizona League Athletics The Arizona Complex League Athletics are a Minor League Baseball team based in Mesa, Arizona, which plays as a Rookie-level team in the Arizona Complex League and has served as a farm team for the Athletics organization since 1988. They play thei ...

and

Stockton Ports The Stockton Ports are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Stockton, California, and are named for the city's seaport. The team plays its home games at Banner I ...

throughout the season. In 13 games started between the three teams he compiled a 5-2 record, 4.37 ERA, and a 1.32 WHIP. Ruiz split the 2018 season between the Double–A

Midland RockHounds The Midland RockHounds are a Minor League Baseball team based in Midland, Texas. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Momentum Bank Ballpark, which ope ...

and Triple–A

Nashville Sounds The Nashville Sounds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Nashville, Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, and are named for the ci ...

, accumulating a 6–10 record and 4.89 ERA with 86 strikeouts across innings pitched. Ruiz spent 2019 split between Midland and the Triple–A

Las Vegas Aviators The Las Vegas Aviators, formerly known as the Las Vegas 51s and Las Vegas Stars, are a Minor League Baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Athletics. They are located in Summerlin South, Nevada, a comm ...

, pitching in 38 contests and struggling to a 2–5 record and 6.49 ERA with 54 strikeouts across innings of work. He did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Ruiz returned to action in 2021, but pitched in only eight games split between Midland, the High–A

Lansing Lugnuts The Lansing Lugnuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Athletics (baseball), Athletics. They are located in Lansing, Michigan, and play their home games at Jackson Field (Lansing), Jackson Fie ...

, and the rookie–level

Arizona Complex League Athletics The Arizona Complex League Athletics are a Minor League Baseball team based in Mesa, Arizona, which plays as a Rookie-level team in the Arizona Complex League and has served as a farm team for the Athletics organization since 1988. They play thei ...

. He began the 2022 season with Triple–A Las Vegas, making 31 relief appearances and posting a 3.73 ERA with 39 strikeouts and 2 saves. On August 19, 2022, Ruiz was selected to the

40-man roster A Major League Baseball roster is a list of players who are allowed, by league agreement, to play for a Major League Baseball (MLB) team. Each MLB team maintains two rosters: an active roster of players eligible to participate in an MLB game, an ...

and promoted to the major leagues for the first time. He made 14 relief appearances for Oakland in his rookie campaign, logging a 7.11 ERA with 18 strikeouts across 19 innings. On November 3, Ruiz was removed from the 40–man roster and sent outright to Triple–A Las Vegas. Ruiz spent the entirety of 2023 with Las Vegas, making 38 appearances and struggling to a 6.95 ERA with 32 strikeouts across innings pitched. He elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2023.

Cleburne Railroaders

On March 4, 2024, Ruiz signed with the

Conspiradores de Querétaro The Conspiradores de Querétaro (English: Querétaro Conspirators) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Huimilpan in the Metropolitan Area of Querétaro. Their home ballpark is the Estadio Conspiradores, with a capacit ...

of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. On April 10, 2024, Ruiz was released by the Conspiradores. On April 23, 2024, Ruiz signed with the

Cleburne Railroaders The Cleburne Railroaders are a professional baseball team based in Cleburne, Texas, that plays in the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. The team, which began play in 2017, plays i ...

of the

American Association of Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor ...

. On May 7, Ruiz was released by the Railroaders without appearing in a game.

Sultanes de Monterrey

On February 17, 2025, Ruiz signed with the

Sultanes de Monterrey The Sultanes de Monterrey (English: Monterrey Sultans) are a professional baseball club in the Mexican League (LMB) based in Monterrey, Mexico. Established in 1939 as Carta Blanca, the Sultanes have won ten LMB titles, most recently in 2018. Fro ...

of the

. He was released prior to the start of the season.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruiz, Norge 1994 births Living people Águilas Cibaeñas players Arizona Complex League Athletics players Arizona League Athletics players Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Cuba Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in baseball Competitors at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games Cuban expatriate baseball players in the Dominican Republic Cuban expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Summer League Athletics players Estrellas Orientales players Gallos de Sancti Spiritus players Ganaderos de Camaguey players Lansing Lugnuts players Las Vegas Aviators players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from Cuba 21st-century Cuban sportsmen Midland RockHounds players Nashville Sounds players Oakland Athletics players Baseball players from Camagüey Province Sabuesos de Holquin players Stockton Ports players Sultanes de Monterrey players