Stony Brook School's Aiden Ruiz boosts stock for MLB Draft
Aiden Ruiz of Stony Brook School reacts after doubling in the bottom of the first inning of a matchup against Poly Prep on Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Stony Brook. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Aiden Ruiz knows how to pick an audience.
The senior shortstop went 2-for-2 with a double, two walks, a stolen base and three runs scored to lead The Stony Brook School baseball team to a 15-0 win over visiting Poly Prep in Stony Brook on Sunday. Not only did the performance help the Bears (15-1) get some redemption against the team who ended their 2025 season, but it also came in front of the exact right people.
Scouts from several MLB teams, including the Pirates, Rangers and Giants were in attendance. Though Ruiz — a 19-year-old switch-hitter from Queens — is currently committed to play for Vanderbilt next year, he is also ranked by MLB as its No. 36 prospect for the 2026 MLB Amateur Draft, scheduled for July 11-13.
“Today definitely helped me in terms of my draft stock, but I try to focus on just what I need to do for the team to win,” Ruiz said. “If the scouts are here, that’s great, but if not, that’s also great, because I’m just focusing on the spring season. It’s always a great feeling when you show out in front of them.”
He put himself on scouts’ radars by batting .426 and winning the Rawlings Gold Glove Defensive Player of the Year Award for high school shortstops across America last spring for a nationally-ranked Stony Brook team.
Later that summer, from Sept. 5-14, he upgraded his audience from national to global, as he started at shortstop for Team USA in the 32nd WBSC U-18 World Cup, hosted in Okinawa, Japan. While there, Ruiz led all hitters with 11 hits and batted .379 across all nine games to lead Team USA to the gold medal.
Regardless of who is in the stands, or what is at stake, Ruiz feels no pressure. In fact, he likes it.
“To be honest, I think that started when I was little,” Ruiz said. “I had a big family, so I always loved competing with my family and my cousins. I like to compete, so I really block out any noise and whoever’s there at the game. But the more people who are there, the better. I get to put on a show for them.”
He gave those scouts quite the skills display on Sunday. With two outs in the top of the first inning, Poly Prep senior catcher Felix Heller ripped a hot shot towards the hole on the left side of the infield. Ruiz made a full-extension diving stop on the backhand side, picking it up on one big hop, then got to his feet and delivered a one-hop strike from deep in the hole to first base for the out.
While leading off the bottom of the first, Ruiz drilled the first pitch into left-centerfield for a double. The energy provided by his web gem and leadoff double sparked an 11-run first inning for Stony Brook. From there, senior righthander Coady Bailey went into cruise control and pitched a four-inning, one-hit shutout with four strikeouts. The game ended in the fourth on an RBI double by sophomore designated hitter Sam Dicker, which invoked the mercy rule.
“The defense behind me was really working,” Bailey said. “Aiden had a great play in the first that really just fired us up, which really got the bats going. It makes my job a lot easier, having him. He’s definitely really good at keeping you calm, and having him behind me gives me all the confidence in the world.”
Though Ruiz may have helped his draft stock, he remains with the dilemma of the inevitable tough decision: sign with the team that drafts him or go to college? It is a pressure that he carries with him every day, but for now, his focus is on Stony Brook.
“I get chills thinking about it sometimes, especially as we come closer upon it; we’re only two months away,” Ruiz said. “We always talk about it with my family. I’m pretty sad that I’m playing my last two months playing high school baseball, but I’m kind of happy that I get to do it with my best friends. We always try to focus on what’s in the present, and that’s the high school season right now.”
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.
