CLEVELAND — Three weeks before the Washington Nationals secured a series win over the best team in the American League Central, more than a dozen coaches, trainers and executives gathered in a room with catcher Keibert Ruiz.With close to a 20-to-1 teacher-to-student ratio, the meeting began with commendations about Ruiz’s defensive strides and devoted work ethic. It included metrics, which identified a handful of issues that had led to a .182 batting average and .506 OPS.And then, when the evaluations were out of the way, the support group offered hope.Ruiz’s diligence in pre-game work, they said, put him on the precipice of his breakout. If he embraced a couple of modern philosophies — swinging harder and pulling the ball in the air — he could become a productive player at the geriatric (by the Nationals’ standards) age of 27.In his first at-bat after the meeting, Ruiz pulled a double into right field. In his next at-bat, he did it again. His next time up, he swung harder than he had in almost any at-bat this season. He pulled a home run inside the foul pole in right field.His OPS jumped 127 points in one day. Over the next three weeks, it spiked another 130 points, all the way to .763.Since the meeting, Ruiz has been the most productive offensive catcher in baseball.In many ways, Ruiz has been the poster child for the Nationals’ surprising ascent. James Wood and CJ Abrams look like All-Stars again, but the Nats wouldn’t boast the best offense in baseball without the support of players like Ruiz.On Opening Day, president of baseball operations Paul Toboni — the man who helped hire many of the new coaches who have supported Ruiz throughout this season — said one of his top priorities for the year was “lifting the floor of our major league group.”This is what he meant.“The past couple of years have been a little bit tough for me,” Ruiz said. “But (the coaches) have been helping me to bring my confidence back and be the player I know I can be, if I work hard and put my mind where it needs to be.”‘I feel like I didn’t work hard enough’As Ruiz sat in the visitor’s dugout at Progressive Field on Tuesday, he attempted to outline exactly what had gotten him off track. He had arrived in 2021 as one of the highly-touted prospects in the mega-deal that sent Trea Turner and Max Scherzer to the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was productive in 2022, signed an eight-year, $50 million contract extension, then was productive again in 2023.In the two seasons that followed, he posted a .610 OPS and dealt with a range of ailments outside of his control, including the flu and multiple concussions. Between 2024 and 2025, he graded out as a below-replacement level player, casting doubt that he would live up to the hype that had followed him.As Ruiz wracked his brain, he did not blame his lack of productivity on those aches and pains. For reasons he could not explain, he has always been insecure about his own work ethic. No matter how many hours he puts in, he has sought affirmation that he is doing enough.