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It's happening, folks. Tonight, Darin Ruf will make his first major league start. No, not at first base, which is his native position. He'll start in left field.
Ruf, 26, had a fantastic season for the AA Reading Phillies, hitting 38 home runs. That led the minors, and it broke Ryan Howard's franchise record of 37 which was set in 2004. Of course, Howard's the reason that Ruf needs to find a new position to play, since the Phillies have Howard locked in at first base for $20m a year until 2525.
Ruf only played the outfield for the last two months of the minor league season, so I'm anticipating a few interesting routes should the ball find him tonight. But I'm definitely interested in seeing what he can do against major league pitching. Good luck, kid.