The Stony Brook School's Aiden Ruiz is a projected first-round pick in the MLB Draft

Aiden Ruiz may not be a Long Islander by birthright or residency, but he is very much the headliner of Long Island’s baseball scene. That is expected to continue in the MLB Amateur Draft this weekend.

No matter which team selects Ruiz — a 19-year-old, switch-hitting shortstop from The Stony Brook School — his lifelong dream has a great shot to come true on Saturday, Day 1 of the two-day, 20-round draft. The potential accomplishment of being drafted can become even more dreamlike if one particular team decides to pick him.

Ruiz — who is widely regarded as New York State’s top high school draft prospect — has spent his whole life in Woodhaven, Queens. He was born into a baseball family. His father, Sammy Ruiz, was a second baseman drafted by the Chicago White Sox in 1985 and played two seasons of minor league ball. Aiden Ruiz grew up within 15 minutes of Citi Field, which houses the family’s favorite team: the New York Mets.

Ruiz said he was a Mets fan as a child, but as his career prospects have gotten more serious, he has moderated his fandom and become more appreciative of the major leaguers themselves. However, the Mets do still get his support for a specific reason.

“My grandfather was a die-hard Mets fan, so that’s where I got it from, but as I’ve grown older, I’ve been more of a New York fan and a baseball fan,” Ruiz told Newsday on Wednesday. “I’m a fan of players. My favorite player, Francisco Lindor, plays for the Mets, so every time he’s playing, I hope the Mets win.”

In fact, Ruiz personally knows Lindor. The two share the same agent. So, during the past two offseasons, they have been able to work out together at Montverde Academy in Florida — Lindor’s former high school. Ruiz says they built a nice relationship.

Many outlets project Ruiz as a Day 1 pick, and several mock drafts predict he will go in the first round. Baseball America recently mocked Ruiz 25th overall to the Brewers, while MLB.com ranks him as the 32nd best prospect and predicted he would go 22nd to the Tigers.

The Mets may have the opportunity to pick him at 27. The Yankees sit at 35.

“That would definitely be very cool; it’s like a fairytale when kids get drafted to the team they grew up with,” Ruiz said. “But any team that drafts me, they’re going to get the best version of myself. I’m going to be ecstatic to play for any of the 30 MLB teams. So yeah, it would be pretty cool, but it would also be pretty cool if any team took me.”

Ruiz is currently committed to Vanderbilt, a perennial powerhouse in Division I college baseball. He said there is no definitive plan in place as to whether he will stick to his college commitment or sign with the team that drafts him, no matter which one makes the pick.

Rather, he will make the decision once the moment comes. All factors will go into his decision whether or not to sign, including the money offered, how far he falls in the draft and his family’s opinions.

“The draft is so unpredictable, so we’ll see,” Ruiz said. “We haven’t really had that conversation yet. We literally have no clue where I’m going yet, but that’s something we’re going to discuss leading into the draft. It could all change on draft day.”

By Mike Anderson

michael.anderson@newsday.com

Mike Anderson is a high school sports reporter who has covered 12 sports so far at Newsday. He was the sports editor of Stony Brook University's campus newspaper for two years.