Juan Carlos Cruz (born October 15, 1978) is a Dominican former professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

. He played in

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

for the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

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 ...

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks (colloquially known as the D-backs) are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. The f ...

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team was founded as an expans ...

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. Since its inception ...

, and

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 ...

from 2001 to 2012.

Early life

Cruz attended Janaco Bonao High School in

Bonao Bonao is a city in the Cibao region of Dominican Republic. It is the capital of the Monseñor Nouel Province, Monseñor Nouel province. The city is located in the center of the country, to the northwest of the national capital Santo Domingo. The ...

Career

Chicago Cubs

Cruz was signed for the

by scout Jose Serra. He began his pro career with the Cubs' Rookie Level team, the Mesa Cubs, where he went 2–4 with a 6.10

earned run average In baseball statistics, earned run average (ERA) is the average of earned runs allowed by a pitcher per nine innings pitched (i.e. the traditional length of a game). It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number ...

and 36

strikeout In baseball or softball, a strikeout (or strike-out) occurs when a batter accumulates three strikes during a time at bat. It usually means that the batter is out. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters, and is deno ...

s in only 41.1

innings pitched In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one innin ...

. Cruz went 5–6 with a 5.94 for Chicago's Single-A affiliate, the

Eugene Emeralds The Eugene Emeralds (nicknamed the Ems) are a Minor League Baseball team in the northwest United States, based in Eugene, Oregon. The Emeralds are members of the Northwest League and are affiliated with the San Francisco Giants. Eugene plays their ...

, in . Cruz split the season between the Single-A

Lansing Lugnuts The Lansing Lugnuts are a Minor League Baseball team of the Midwest League and the High-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. They are located in Lansing, Michigan, and play their home games at Jackson Field (Lansing), Jackson Field. The Midwe ...

and

Daytona Cubs Daytona refers to the city of Daytona Beach, Florida, or things named after it. Daytona may also refer to: Locations * Daytona Beach Shores, Florida * South Daytona, Florida * The Daytona Beach metropolitan area * Halifax area, also known as Dayt ...

. His combined stats for the year included an 8–5 record, a 3.27 ERA and 160 K's in 25 games and 140.1 innings. He also threw three

complete game In baseball, a complete game (CG) is the act of a pitcher pitching an entire game without the benefit of a relief pitcher. A pitcher who meets this criterion will be credited with a complete game regardless of the number of innings played—pitche ...

s. Cruz made his big league debut for the Cubs on August 21, , against the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...

. He went 3–1 with a 3.22 ERA in his first 8 starts, and also recorded his first two major league hits on October 2. One of his highlights for the beginning of Cruz's season was that he was named to the All-Star Futures Team. Cruz went 3–11 with a 3.98 ERA in 45 games in . He also picked up his first career save. He went 2–7 with a 6.05 ERA in in 6 starts with the Cubs. He started the year in the Cubs bullpen but was sent down to the

Iowa Cubs The Iowa Cubs are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. They are located in Des Moines, Iowa, and are named for their Major League Baseball (MLB) affiliate. The ...

on June 3. On Opening Day in 2003, Cruz struck out 6 consecutive batters, becoming only the second Cubs reliever to do so.

Atlanta Braves

On March 25, , Cruz, along with

Steve Smyth ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve ...

, were acquired by the

, from the

, for Andy Pratt and Richard Lewis. In 2004, with the Braves, Cruz went 6–2 with a 2.75 ERA in 50 relief appearances while setting a career high in wins and games pitched, and placed second in the Atlanta bullpen with 8.75 K's per 9 innings. Also, with runners in scoring position, opposing batters only hit .159 against him.

Oakland Athletics

On December 16, 2004, the

acquired Cruz, along with Dan Meyer and Charles Thomas, from the

, in exchange for

Tim Hudson Timothy Adam Hudson (born July 14, 1975), nicknamed "Huddy" is an American former professional baseball pitcher of Major League Baseball (MLB). After spending his college years at Chattahoochee Valley Community College and Auburn University, Hud ...

. In 2005, Cruz struggled in the beginning of the year and was sent down to Triple-A Sacramento in June. Cruz returned to the big-league team in September 2005 when rosters expanded, and he recorded a 4.82 ERA in his last 7 games of the season. His overall stats for the year were an 0–3 record and a 7.44 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 28 games in Oakland. After going 2–0 with 10.1 scoreless innings for Oakland in 2006

Spring Training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

, Cruz was dealt to the

for pitcher

Brad Halsey Bradford Alexander Halsey (February 14, 1981 – October 31, 2014) was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees in 2004, for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005, and for the Oakland Athl ...

Arizona Diamondbacks

In March 2006, the

traded Cruz to the

for pitcher

. Cruz pitched in four scoreless outings for the D'backs in the spring after being traded. Cruz began the year in the starting rotation, and went 3–3 with a 4.05 ERA and 41 K's in 14 games, before being placed on the day-to-day disabled list with shoulder soreness on June 6. Two days later, he was moved to the 15-day DL. Cruz bounced between the bullpen and the rotation in 2006, but was used strictly out of the bullpen in 2007. He was on the disabled list for about three weeks from late-April to early-May 2007.

Kansas City Royals

On February 28, 2009, the

signed Cruz to a two-year, $5.5 million contract with a club option for the 2011 season. On April 23, 2010, the Royals released Cruz.

Tampa Bay Rays

On February 3, 2011, the

signed Cruz to a minor league contract.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Cruz signed a minor league contract with the

on February 1, 2012. He also received an invitation to spring training. Cruz was called up prior to the season. On August 20, 2012, Cruz was

designated for assignment Designated for assignment (DFA) is a contractual term used in Major League Baseball (MLB). A player who is designated for assignment is immediately removed from the team's 40-man roster, after which the team must within seven days, return the pla ...

. On August 23, 2012, Cruz refused his assignment to Triple-A and was released.

Philadelphia Phillies

On January 16, 2013, Cruz signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. But on February 13, 2013, before the first Spring Training workout began, the Phillies released Cruz after they mutually agreed to rescind their agreement.

Pitching style

Cruz throws five pitches. His primary three pitches are a

four-seam fastball A four-seam fastball, also called a rising fastball, a four-seamer, or a cross-seam fastball, is a pitch in baseball. It is a member of the fastball family of pitches and is usually the hardest (i.e., fastest) ball thrown by a pitcher. It is ca ...

(90–95),

cut fastball In baseball, a cut fastball or cutter is a type of fastball that breaks toward the pitcher's glove-hand side, as it reaches home plate. This pitch is somewhere between a slider and a four-seam fastball, as it is usually thrown faster than a slider ...

(87–90), and

slider Slider or Sliders may refer to: Arts * K.K. Slider, a fictional character within the ''Animal Crossing'' franchise * '' The Slider'', a 1972 album by T. Rex * ''Sliders'' (TV series), an American science fiction and fantasy television series * ...

(78–80). Though they are used less frequently, Cruz also has a

changeup A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed ...

(82–85) and

two-seam fastball A two-seam fastball is a pitch in baseball and softball. It is a variant of the straight fastball. The pitch has the speed of a fastball and can also include late-breaking action caused by varying the pressure of the index and middle fingers on t ...

(91–94).

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Juan 1978 births Living people Altoona Curve players Arizona Diamondbacks players Arizona League Cubs players Atlanta Braves players Charlotte Stone Crabs players Chicago Cubs players Daytona Cubs players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Eugene Emeralds players Iowa Cubs players Kansas City Royals players Lansing Lugnuts players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Oakland Athletics players People from Bonao Pittsburgh Pirates players Sacramento River Cats players Tampa Bay Rays players Tucson Sidewinders players West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx players