Philadelphia Phillies World Series catcher Carlos Ruiz has announced he will indeed play for his native Panama at the upcoming World Baseball Classic this spring. Shortly after being named to Panama’s provisional roster for baseball’s global gathering, Ruiz declared his desire to focus on defending the Phillies’ crown. Later, after meeting with officials in his homeland, Ruiz has now decided once and for all that he will play out of his sense of duty to the Panamanian citizenry.

Ruiz, a 29-year-old veteran of two plus seasons in the Major Leagues, has been a member of the Philadelphia Phillies organization nine seasons since signing as an undrafted free agent out of Panama. Ruiz has played 153 games for the AA Reading Philies (19 HR 66 RBI, .278 avg), an even 200 times for the AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons (20 HR 109, .303 avg), as well as his 259 appearances in Philadelphia (13 HR 95 RBI, .242 avg).

I for one am glad to see this development. While I do not believe that players should ever be forced to play, I certainly believe that players should want to play. I applaud Ruiz’s sense of patriotism for his homeland and the desire of an established Major Leaguer to participate in the premier international baseball tournament. I also believe Ruiz’s decision provides an enormous boost to Panama, who do not list legions of current Major League players on their roster.