Padres Are Not Done-San Diego Signs Top Pitcher Humberto Cruz
The Padres are not resting on their laurels after signing the number one international prospect, Leodalis De Vries. Just moments later, San Diego signs top pitcher prospect Humberto Cruz as well. Therefore, it’s been a VERY busy day for the west coast ball club.
Nevertheless, this is more great news for the Friar Faithful. The report is real… the Padres brought the number one pitching prospect RHP Humberto Cruz out of Mexico. Fangraphs ranks him as the #24 international prospect and the top pitching prospect.
Cruz boasts a 93-94 mph fastball along with a plus curveball and slider. Sports journalist, Clark Fahrenhold, for the Coronado Eagle and Journal as well as SD News; is among the first to confirm this signing. Fahrenhold says,
“Along with signing Leodalis De Vries, the San Diego Padres have also signed RHP Humberto Cruz. Cruz, in my opinion, is the top pitcher in the 24′ Int. Class. The 17 year old has already touched 93-94 mph on the FB & also appears to have a plus curveball & slider to pair with it.
FanGraphs also grades Cruz as a 40 FV (Future Value) player. This means that if Cruz were to be theoretically placed in the MLB draft, he would be looked at as a 3rd to 5th-round type talent if we follow the grading scale used by FanGraphs Eric Longenhagen.”
Padres Are Not Done-San Diego Signs Top Pitcher Humberto Cruz
Sounds great. What’s also great is a pitcher that can maintain composure in tough spots. Thus, far Humberto appears promising in this respect.
Regarding this, Clark Fahrenhold also provides some awesome detail about Cruz on the mound and how he gets to the job at hand. Clark reveals,
“What is perhaps the most impressive about the pitcher is his ability to pitch with command and in the zone.
This trait is perhaps best evidenced by his performance on May 9 vs. South Korea in the U-18 WBSC. Cruz, who at the time was still only 16 years old, worked four innings, striking out two and allowing just two hits vs. a South Korean team that would go on to take home third place in the WBSC.
It would take just 57 pitches for Cruz to work four innings, and of those 57 pitches, 37 would be strikes. Suitable for a 64% strike percentage and an average of just 14 pitches per inning. It is an effective and efficient outing on a rather large stage.
With Cruz being just 17, it goes without saying he is far from a finished product. Based on early predictability and profile he appears to be an excellent young international sign for San Diego.”
Seems to be quite some potential there. Nonetheless, you never know what will happen with prospects in the future so it’s always good to acquire as much talent as possible…especially pitching. However, really wishing all the best to Cruz on his professional journey moving forward.
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