Early Years
Ruiz was born in Santo Domingo, Cuba, on December 5, 1938. His father owned a cigar factory, while his brother, José, headed the labor force of Cubatabaco. Ruiz's father wanted his son to succeed him in running the cigar factory. However, Chico attended college, where he studied architecture.
Ruiz signed with the Cincinnati Redlegs in 1958 at nineteen years old. He was among the last of the Cuban players to make it out of Cuba before the borders were sealed. He batted .275 with 28 home runs over six seasons in their farm system before making the renamed Cincinnati Reds out of Spring training in 1964. Though he was a shortstop by trade, he made all 79 of his appearances on the field at either second or third base.
Read more about this topic: Chico Ruiz
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