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 this weekend’s MLB Draft.

No matter which team selects the 19-year-old Ruiz — a switch-hitting shortstop from The Stony Brook School — his lifelong dream has a great chance to come true on Saturday, Day 1 of the two-day, 20-round draft.

The potential accomplishment of being drafted can become even more of a dream 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 grew up within 15 minutes of Citi Field, which houses the family’s favorite team: the Mets.

They could have the opportunity to pick him at 27. The Yankees sit at 35.

“That would definitely be very cool; it’s like a fairy tale when kids get drafted to the team they grew up with,” Ruiz said of being chosen by the Mets. “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 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.

The Mets 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. During the past two offseasons, they have been able to work out together at Montverde Academy in Florida, Lindor’s former high school. Ruiz said they have built a nice relationship.

Ruiz — whose father, Sammy Ruiz, was a second baseman drafted by the White Sox in 1985 who played two seasons of minor league ball — wrapped up his four-year career with The Stony Brook School on a high note. In 24 games while playing a national schedule, he had a .403/.547/.625 slash line with six doubles, two triples, two home runs and 17 RBIs out of the leadoff spot. He drew 21 walks and went 23-for-23 on stolen-base attempts. He struck out only eight times in 95 plate appearances.

Many outlets project Ruiz as a Day 1 pick, and several mock drafts predict he will go in the first round. Baseball America recently had Ruiz going 25th overall to the Brewers. MLB.com ranked him as the No. 32 prospect and predicted he will go 22nd overall to the Tigers.

Ruiz currently is committed to Vanderbilt, a perennial powerhouse in Division I college baseball. He said that regardless of which team drafts him, there is no definitive plan in place as to whether he will stick to his college commitment or sign a professional contract. He

said he will make the decision once the moment arrives.

All factors will go into his decision whether 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.