Seemingly coming out of absolutely nowhere, Fernando Cruz showed up in the transactions report in early February. Given that he hadn’t pitched in affiliated ball for more than half of a decade and was a 32-year-old my assumption was that there was an input error and that the team had either signed someone named Fernando Cruz or that the player ID number was simply input incorrectly and no one had noticed yet. WRONG. It turned out that the move was one of brilliance.
Over the first two weeks of the season Fernando Cruz pitched in five games for the Louisville Bats and was charged with one unearned run in 4.1 innings. But the next week – and the final one of April – he gave up runs in three straight games, accounting for six runs in 3.0 innings as his ERA jumped up to 7.36.
From that point forward, covering the next four months, he would post an ERA of 2.22 in 48.2 innings while giving up as many home runs – two – as he did in those three games to end April. That run led to an ERA of 2.98 on the year in 51 games pitched for Fernando Cruz. He led the organization with 23 saves on a Louisville Bats team that only had 52 wins when Cruz was promoted to join the big league club at the beginning of September. While it didn’t factor into the decision, once he got to Cincinnati he posted an ERA of 1.23 in 14 games during his September call up.
During his time in the minor leagues this season, Cruz held opposing batters to a .198/.277/.300 line with just four home runs, 39 hits, he walked 19 batters, and struck out 66. He didn’t allow much contact, but when he did he also didn’t give up many extra-base hits. Opponents managed just six doubles, a triple, and four homers against him in 225 plate appearances.