"He was one of the best hitters over there" - San Francisco Giants boss talks about Darin Ruf's transition from Korea back to MLB

San Francisco Giants outfielder Darin Ruf would probably be the first athlete to say that there are many paths to Major League Baseball. You could be blessed with so much natural ability that people christen you the next Mickey Mantle, like Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper. You could have the world's greatest example as your father, like Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. You could even be a 20th round Major League Baseball pick from Omaha, Nebraska. That was Darin Ruf's first trip to the Majors.

Washington Nationals v Philadelphia Phillies

Darin Ruf had a long road to success in a San Francisco Giants uniform

Darin Ruf's career was unspectacular when he climbed his way through the Philadelphia Phillies minor league system. Through nearly 300 games with Philadelphia, Ruf only managed to hit 35 homeruns to go along with 177 hits. Many big leaguers would call it a career at that point. Perhaps, they'd venture into the next phase of their baseball lives by transitioning into coaching or scouting. Ruf, however, knew that he still had some baseball left in him, even if that wasn't in the United States as he was traded to the Dodgers in 2017 and subsequently sold to the Samsung Lions of the KBO.

Philadelphia Phillies v Colorado Rockies

In his first season with the Lions, Ruf managed to discover the swing that helped him make it to the big leagues, as he slugged 31 homers and 38 doubles to help drive in 124 runs batted in. He solidified his value in his second season with the team as he generated a slugging percentage of .515.

It was there that the leader of the San Francisco Giants, Fahran Zaidi, offered Ruf a deal. Ruf opted for the San Francisco Giants because he assumed he'd be able to garner more playing time with the San Francisco Giants' platoon strategy that played to his strengths. Ruf ended up producing the best two seasons of his major league career with the Giants and was a key force in helping them hold off the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League West title.

There are many roads that lead to a career in Major League Baseball. For Darin Ruf, he was fortunate to have two roads to the big leagues, one of which was through South Korea. It led to him being a key member of a competitive Giants offense, and at a $6.25 million contract to be paid off over two years, he may be the best value a team can have.