José Cruz (pitcher)
| José Cruz | |
|---|---|
| San Francisco Giants | |
| Pitcher | |
| Born: May 18, 2000 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | |
Bats: Right Throws: Right |
José Leonidas Cruz (born May 18, 2000) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher in the San Francisco Giants organization.
Career
Cruz was born in Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic.[1] On July 2, 2017, Cruz signed with the San Francisco Giants organization as an international free agent.[2]
Pitching for the DSL Giants in 2018 he was 2–2 with five saves and a 4.88 ERA in 20 relief appearances.[1] Cruz played for the rookie–level Arizona League Giants in 2019, and was 2–3 with one save and a 4.50 ERA in 14 games (3 starts) in which he pitched 46 innings.[1] Cruz did not play in a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] In 2021, Cruz returned to action with the rookie–level Arizona Complex League Giants. In 19 relief appearances, he was 3–1 with five saves, a 4.44 ERA, and 42 strikeouts (15.5 strikeouts per 9 innings) across 24+1⁄3 innings.[1]
In 2022 with the Single-A San Jose Giants, he was 2–1 with 6 saves in 6 opportunities in 38 relief appearances, as in 52+1⁄3 innings he gave up 21 hits and struck out 86 batters (14.8 strikeouts per 9 innings).[1] Post-season he was named a California League All Star, and named the “Best Relief Pitcher Prospect” in the California League by Baseball America.[4] On November 15, 2022, the Giants added Cruz to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 draft.[5]
Cruz was optioned to the High–A Eugene Emeralds to begin the 2023 season.[6] In 36 appearance split between Eugene and the Double–A Richmond Flying Squirrels, he compiled a 4.47 ERA with 67 strikeouts and 5 saves across 44+1⁄3 innings pitched. On November 17, 2023, the Giants non–tendered Cruz, making him a free agent.[7]
On November 20, 2023, Cruz re-signed with the Giants organization on a minor league contract.[8]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Jose Cruz Minor Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ "Jose Cruz - Stats". The Baseball Cube.
- ^ "2020 Minor League Baseball season cancelled". mlb.com. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
- ^ "Jose Cruz Stats, Fantasy & News". MiLB.com.
- ^ "SF Giants protect Marco Luciano, Luis Matos, and several other prospects from Rule 5 Draft". Sports Illustrated San Francisco Giants News, Analysis and More. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
- ^ "Giants' Jose Cruz: Sent to minors". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2023-03-12.
- ^ "SF Giants non-tender trio of intriguing relief pitching prospects". si.com. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
- ^ "SF Giants re-sign relief-pitching prospect to minor-league contract". si.com. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference (Minors)
- Articles with short description
- Short description matches Wikidata
- Articles using infobox templates with no data rows
- Dominican Summer League Giants players
- San Jose Giants players
- 2000 births
- Living people
- Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States
- Baseball pitchers
- Arizona League Giants players
- Eugene Emeralds players
- Richmond Flying Squirrels players