Florence Y’alls relief pitcher Evy Ruibal signed a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) contract with the New York Mets organization.
The right-hander reported to the team’s High-A affiliate, the Brooklyn Cyclones, Sunday.
Ruibal is the first Y’all to officially sign an affiliated baseball contract this season.
In nine games pitched for the Y’alls this season, Ruibal had a 2-0 record with a 0.73 ERA and one save. He allowed just one run in 12 1/3 innings with 13 strikeouts along the way. He had the lowest ERA of any Y’alls pitcher, and he struck out at least one batter in seven of his nine appearances.
Ruibal, 25, frequently touched 97 MPH with his fastball this season.
Ruibal was originally drafted out of Notre Dame University in Round 16 of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. After his release from the Dodgers organization, Ruibal pitched for the Lake Erie Crushers during the 2019 season. In his first taste of Frontier League action prior to joining Florence, Ruibal had a 2.20 ERA in 13 games for the Crushers.
In 2019, Florence helped five players sign MiLB contracts. Florence also sent four players to affiliated organizations in both 2017 and 2018.
Meanwhile, veteran Florence outfielder Andre Mercurio announced that he has retired from baseball, effective Sunday, June 27.
He spent five seasons in Florence.
Mercurio, 28, called it a career after accumulating a .282/.369/.380 slash line across five seasons. He hit a total of 12 home runs with 114 RBI. He roped 35 doubles and stole 45 bases while manning center field for the Florence Freedom and then for the rebranded Florence Y’alls during this 2021 season.
The San Mateo, California native played in just 10 games for Florence this season, but he ended his career in style with a home run, a double, and three runs batted in in his final game at Washington on June 24.
“I wouldn’t be comfortable hanging up the cleats if I didn’t give it everything I had, but for 20 years, I played as hard as I can,” Mercurio said. “I prepared as hard as I can most importantly. I trained as hard as I could in the offseason to try to outwork everybody. I feel like that is all that I have in the tank as a player, and I just feel like my heart is moving onto something different.”
Mercurio’s best season in Florence came in 2017 when he set multiple career-highs on his way to being named to his first and only All Star Game appearance. That season, Mercurio hit .293 with six home runs and 51 RBI with 14 doubles and 18 stolen bases. He recorded a hit and an RBI in the All Star Game. His play helped Florence capture the pennant and a berth into the Frontier League Championship Series. Mercurio also helped Florence – then the Freedom – reach the Championship Series in 2019.
“Being with the Y’alls and this organization has been, I mean, a blessing would understate it,” Mercurio said. “It has been one of the best experiences of my life. This place feels like a second home. These guys on the team feel like brothers. The front office staff, a lot of them have been around for five years. They feel like family to me. … My time with this organization has been nothing short of, I mean, a miracle, really.”
Mercurio plans to stay involved in baseball. He currently serves as the director of player development for the baseball team at his alma mater, San José State. His new goal is to reach the Big Leagues in a different way, as a coach or as a front office member.
The Y’alls are currently 18-11 overall, three games behind the Frontier League’s West Division-leading Evansville Otters.
-Staff report
Image via Florence Y’alls