Baseball in Fort Wayne

Posts Tagged ‘Luiz Cruz’

Unless the Pirates make a waiver claim or something changes between now and opening day, Luis Cruz has a spot on the Pirates opening day roster.

…this will be his first time on an Opening Day roster. He made his Major League debut as a September callup last year and impressed with his defensive abilities and versatility.

Diamondbacks reliever, Leo Rosales, was sent to Triple-A today. He had a 3.86 ERA in and nine strikeouts in 11.2 innings over 10 Cactus League games.

The Matt Bush era in Toronto is over before it begins. Hoep the Padres don’t have to give up much for hte PTBNL or cash for that experiment.

“He did have issues when he was with San Diego,” said one Blue Jays official. The Blue Jays would not specify what Bush did to cause his release except to say he ran afoul of the “zero tolerance” terms of his agreement with the American League team.

Wonder who (if anyone) will take a chance on bush now. Josh Hamilton, please reach out to this kid!

If he plays well, David Freese will get a longer look in St. Louis since Troy Glaus will be out longer than originally anticipated.

Finally, yours truly has been quoted in an MLB article containing comments from many overly optimistic Chicago Cubs fans. Enjoy.

It’s been kind of intersteding to observe some bloggers who are hoping for the possible signing of some former Wizards free agents (many of whom have yet to really make a mark in the Majors) or the moving up the ladder to earn roster spots. Here’s a quick breakdown…

Tenth Inning Stretch Sees Dory Doyne as a Diamond in the Rough:

RHP, 27. Career 3.31 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 8.74 K/9, 1.94 K/BB. Was the closer for the Norfolk Tides (International League) in 2007 producing a great season with 2.23 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. Had rotator cuff surgery last year and came back fine producing a 3.43 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 11.57 K/9 and 3.86 K/BB in 21 innings in 4 levels. Another potential steal, he very likely be a middle reliever in the majors next year.

Bleeding Blue and Teal Thinks Peter Ciofrone is a bagain:

The 25 year old Ciofrone did very well for himself after being promoted to AAA Portland.  He put up a very impressive .314/.389/.519 line in 97 games with the Beavers, smacking 18 homers and showing slightly above average plate discipline from the left side of the plate.  The power is a new addition to Ciofrone’s game, but if he can keep it up he could be a nice bargain for Seattle.

Corey Brock Dishes on the Chances of Kyle Blanks Getting Moved:

The Padres think very highly of Blanks, but with first base in the capable hands of All-Star and Gold Glove winner Adrian Gonzalez, there is always the possibility he could get moved in a deal.

Rays Index suggests that Tampa Bay’s decision to add Dale Thayer to the 40-man roster will mean loosing Eddie Morlan in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.

A quick look at the numbers shows Dale Thayer (2.82 tRA, 10.0 K/9 at AAA) was much stronger than Morlan (4.40 tRA, 8.62 K/9 at AA) this past season. Of course Thayer will be 28 next season and Morlan will only be 23. Morlan is only one season removed from being one of the best relief pitcher prospects in baseball. Still, Thayer is more likely to help a major league club in 2009. So if it is Thayer versus Morlan for one spot, we would have understood either choice.

Three Rivers Sports thinks Luis Cruz has the potential to become the best young middle infielder in the Pirate’s organization.

He is a little more than a year younger than Bixler as well, and while his numbers after being called up in September weren’t good, they at least demonstrated the ability to cope with major league pitchers, as he struck out just twice in 67 at-bats, and his OPS was far superior to Bixler at .547

STLToday ranks David Freese as the 5th best prospect in the Cardinals organization. Methinks he’ll be starting the season at 3B for the Cardinals. Fresse was also named by Scout.com as the Cardinals’ Minor League Player of the Year.

This one almost got past me. Former Wizard, Luis Cruz made his Major League Debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates on 9/2/2008, becoming the 73rd former Wizard and 11th this season to do so. That means, when Wade LeBlanc takes the mound on Wednesday, he will break the 2002 record of former Wizards to make their MLB debut’s in a single season.

Cruz went 1-4  against the Cincinnati Reds, with one hit. He collected his first MLB hit in the top of the first off Aaron Harang by lining an 0-1 fastball to left field.

There’s also a nice article about Cruz and his father on MLB.com. (Note: They misspelled Luiz’s first name throughout – Bet it happens a lot).

After years of trailing his father and trying to follow in his footsteps, Luis Cruz will do something that even his father — a 16-year professional baseball player — never did: play in a Major League game.

After finishing up a coming-out season in the Minor Leagues, Cruz was the most unexpected of the 10 players the Pirates called up from Triple-A after Indianapolis’ season ended on Monday. After starting the season with Double-A Altoona and moving up in late July, Cruz made his first big league start on Tuesday night.

Luis Cruz played with the Wizards way back in 2003 after he came to the Padres via a trade with the Boston Red Sox in exchange for 2B Cesar Crespo. He appeared in 129 games and posted a .231 average with 8 home runs, 53 RBI’s and 2 stolen bases while walking just 30 times over 481 at-bats. On the bright side, he struck out just 55 times. His lackluster offense and propensity to ground into double-plays (he led the team with 15) left much to be desired.

Similar lines followed him all the way up the Padres farm ladder to Portland this season. He was released after a disappointing .168 average with 24 strikeouts in 155 at-bats.His .216 on-base percentage didn’t help his cause either.

After his release, Cruz signed with the Pitsburgh Pirates and was assigned to Double-A Altoona before being promoted to Triple-A Indianapolis. His number, again, were not overwhelming. Between the two assignments, he hit .279 with 9 home runs and 61 RBI’s. However, while in Triple-A, he hit .325 and had a .247 on-base percentage. In fact, it may have been his late season heroics while in Indy that lead to the callup.

Cruz may be one of my all-time favorite Wizards if for no other reason than the fact that I can vividly recall Ryan Schoener (I think it was Ryan at that time) announcing his name over the PA. “Now Up to bat . . . Loo-eese Crooooze!”