DeShields, Rua to co-host T3 event

Tribe Fest is set for Feb. 1 at the Cleveland Convention Center. For Indians fans looking to get an up-close look at the team’s recent acquisition — Delino DeShields Jr. — they can do so a day earlier.

On Jan. 31, DeShields will make an appearance at T3 Performance (1965 Recreation Lane) in Avon and put on a pro style workout from 4 to 6:30 p.m.

DeShields, traded to the Indians from the Rangers this offseason in the Corey Kluber trade, will be joined by former Texas teammate Ryan Rua, who starred at Amherst High School and Lake Erie College.

DeShields and Rua will hit in the batting cages from 4 to 4:45 p.m. then move to the gym for a strength and conditioning workout. At the completion of the workout at 5:30 p.m., DeShields and Rua will be available during a question-and-answer session with those in attendance. The event is free to the public.

Rua is now a full-time baseball instructor at T3. He and DeShields were Rangers teammates from 2015 to 2018.

DeShields played the last five seasons with Texas.

During that time, he appeared in 539 games with 18 home runs, 126 RBI and 106 RBI. The outfielder also scored 288 runs and has a career .249 batting average.

He was part of the Dec. 15, 2019 trade for Kluber. He and pitching prospect Emmanuel Clase came to Cleveland in return for the two-time American League Cy Young Award winner. DeShields is expected to contribute in the outfield with the Indians. Clase has promise. He skipped the Triple-A level last season and made his big-league debut with the Rangers last August, going 2-3 with a 2.31 ERA in mostly a relief role.

Rua was a reserve outfielder and first baseman for Texas from 2014 to 2018. His best season was 2016, when he appeared in 99 games, batted .258 and had eight home runs and 22 RBI. In 2011, he was a 17thround pick out of Lake Erie College.

In 2015, Rua’s No. 2 during his time at Amherst was retired during a ceremony. He’s the first player from the school to play a professional sport and the first Amherst athlete to have his number retired. Rua was a member of the 2008 Southwestern Conference and district champion baseball team, and was named to the Mizuno All-Ohio AllStar team.

Easton Baseball and Baseball Lifestyle 101 will sponsor the event. Baseball Lifestyle 101 is a popular site for baseball apparel and accessories. Its Instagram account has more than 550,000 followers.

Contact Jeff Sudbrook for more information at Jeff@ T3athlete.com or 440-9342244.

SUBMITTED Ryan Rua (Amherst, Lake Erie College) and new Indians player Delino DeShields Jr. were teammates in Texas from 2015 to 2018.