Luis Iván Cruz (born May 3, 1968) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball

first baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

and past coach for the

GCL Braves The Florida Complex League Braves are the Rookie-level affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Braves. The team plays at CoolTo ...

in 2018.

Career

He played during four seasons at the major league level for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

, and St. Louis Cardinals. He was drafted by the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

in the 28th round of the 1989 amateur draft. Cruz played his first professional season with their Class-A (Short Season)

Niagara Falls Rapids The Niagara Falls Rapids were a Class-A minor league baseball team located in Niagara Falls, New York. The team played in the New York–Penn League throughout its existence. The team played all of their home games at Sal Maglie Stadium. The te ...

in , and his last with the Chunichi Dragons of

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Central League The or is one of the two professional baseball leagues that constitute Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan. The winner of the league championship plays against the winner of the Pacific League in the annual Japan Series. It currently consist ...

in . He played his last affiliated season with St. Louis and their Triple-A

Memphis Redbirds The Memphis Redbirds are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. They are located in Memphis, Tennessee, and are named for their Major League Baseball affiliate. The Redbir ...

in , in which he won the

Joe Bauman Home Run Award The Joe Bauman Home Run Award, formerly known as the Round-Tripper-Award, is given to the Minor League Baseball player who hit the most regular season home runs that year. The award, first given in 2002, is named after Joe Bauman, who set a the ...

. In 2008, he entered his first of two seasons as manager of the U.S. Military All-Stars/Heroes of the Diamond and the Latin Stars "Red, White and Blue Tour" posting consecutive winning seasons. Under Cruz’s tutelage, over 25 players were offered scholarships or professional contracts. In 2010, he made his affiliated debut as the manager of the Peoria Padres, the Rookie Short Season A-ball affiliate of the San Diego Padres. Cruz was named as a coach for the

in the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

organization for the 2018 season. Cruz currently resides in

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; es, San Agustín ) is a city in the Southeastern United States and the county seat of St. Johns County on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorers, it is the oldest continuously inhabit ...

, with his girlfriend and her daughter.

References

1968 births Living people Altoona Curve players Chunichi Dragons players Columbus Clippers players Gulf Coast Yankees players Hanshin Tigers players Jacksonville Dolphins baseball players Jacksonville Suns players Lakeland Tigers players London Tigers players Major League Baseball first basemen Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico Memphis Redbirds players Mexican League baseball first basemen Mexican League baseball left fielders Minor league baseball coaches Minor league baseball managers Nashville Sounds players Nippon Professional Baseball first basemen New York Yankees players Niagara Falls Rapids players Pittsburgh Pirates players People from Fajardo, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Canada Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Japan Puerto Rican expatriate baseball players in Mexico Saraperos de Saltillo players St. Louis Cardinals players Toledo Mud Hens players {{PuertoRico-baseball-first-baseman-stub

Career

See also

References