33-year old righty swinging catcher Carlos Ruiz finished tied for 28th in the N.L. MVP voting with outfielder Jason Heyward of the Braves. Ruiz missed a big chunk of the season due to injury, or he would have finished much higher in the voting. Ruiz has played in 114 games for the Phillies last year and he was 121 of 372 (.325 avg, .935 OPS) with 56 runs scored, 16 homers, 68 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He has now played in 733 games in his first seven years with the Phillies and he is 616 of 2,238 (.275 avg, .781 OPS) with 274 runs scored, 52 homers, 299 RBIs and 15 stolen bases.

UPDATE: (11/27/2012) - Carlos Ruiz has been suspended for the first 25 games of the 2013 season by Major League Baseball as he has tested positive for amphetamines.