Chico Ruiz - "Bench Me or Trade Me"

"Bench Me or Trade Me"

With Pete Rose at second, Deron Johnson at third and Leo Cárdenas at short, Ruiz was squeezed out of a very solid infield, and saw very little playing time over the next two seasons. He took it in stride, bringing a cushion to sit on the bench, a pair of special soft comfortable alligator spiked shoes and a battery-driven fan the people in St. Louis gave him to games to keep himself comfortable on the bench.

His chance finally arrived in 1967 when Cárdenas broke his finger. He performed admirably in Cárdenas' absence, batting .283 with five runs scored and four runs batted in while providing solid defense at short. This was followed with a two week stint at second while second baseman Tommy Helms shifted over to short. During the stretch, Ruiz joked that playing everyday was killing him and jokingly asked Reds manager Dave Bristol, "Bench me or trade me."

Regardless of his "demand," Ruiz remained with the Reds for two more seasons. Following the 1969 season, he and outfielder Alex Johnson were traded to the California Angels for pitchers Pedro Borbón, Jim McGlothlin and Vern Geishert.