Darin Cortland Ruf (born July 28, 1986) is an American professional baseball first baseman and outfielder for the Samsung Lions of the KBO League. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and played at Westside High School. Subsequently, he attended Creighton University, and excelled playing baseball there before the Philadelphia Phillies drafted him in 2009. In the minor leagues, he initially hit for a high batting average, but in 2011 combined that with power numbers to become one of the Phillies\' top prospects. He made his major league debut in September 2012, after having hit 38 home runs to lead the Eastern League. In 2013, he split time between Triple-A and the major league Phillies, and was among the league\'s top rookies. He was embroiled in a roster battle for a bench spot entering 2014, but hurt his oblique, and landed on the disabled list prior to the season.\n', '

Ruf was born to parents Bill and Mary Ruf in Omaha, Nebraska; he has four siblings (one of whom is older, the rest younger). He attended Westside High School, where he helped the team win a Nebraska state championship his sophomore season and finish as the runner-up his senior year. He also played football and basketball, and was the captain of the baseball and football teams – during his senior season, he achieved all-state honors in both football and basketball. After his senior season, he committed to play baseball at Creighton for its "combination of athletics and academics"; there, he was a "standout" over his four seasons, serving as the squad\'s first baseman.\n', '

In Ruf\'s freshman season (2006), he started all 52 games. His sophomore season (2007) he was named the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Player of the Year, a member of both the first-team all conference squad, and a first-team all-conference scholar athlete. He also was named an all-star for his performance in summer collegiate baseball, for which he was a member of the Wisconsin Woodchucks of the Northwoods League. During his junior season (2008) he compiled a 15-game hitting streak that contributed to his .347 season batting average. His collegiate career culminated in 2009, when he was named to the second-team all-MVC team and a third-team academic-all American by ESPN. Overall, he was "all over the Bluejay record books, finishing second in RBI with 201, third in total bases with 423 and in hits with 275, sixth in walks with 135, seventh in doubles with 57 and tied for 10th in home runs with 27 ... (he) started all 227 games in his career." While at Creighton, he earned a degree in finance, compiled a 3.51 grade point average (GPA), and aspired to be a successful businessman.\n', '

Return to Darin Ruf Autograph Profile