All Around the Americas with Fernando Cruz
Yesterday at 03:00 PM
The Yankees' newest reliever has visited various locales in his professional career—let's take the tour with him!
The Yankees' newest face for their bullpen, Fernando Cruz, has the kind of story baseball writers and fans never tire of telling. Cruz is a classic journeyman, pitching wherever he could to catch the eye of scouts and Major League front offices before finally making his MLB debut in 2022 at the age of 32. Drafted by the Royals as an infielder out of high school in 2007, Cruz switched to pitching four years later and began a journey in and out of affiliated ball, passing through several other countries as well as his native Puerto Rico multiple times along the way.
To celebrate that journey, which is likely to culminate at Yankee Stadium this spring, let's take a tour of all nineteen(!) different teams where he plied his trade—starting with his rookie ball days in the Royals organization and going all the way through the site of his big league debut with the Reds. We'll give a brief overview of the teams and their ballparks, their affiliation or lack thereof, and a fun fact or two for the road.
AZL Royals
League: Arizona League (Rookie)
Ballpark: Surprise Stadium, Surprise, AZ
Years Played: 2007 (as IF), 2011 (as P)
The Royals drafted Cruz as a shortstop out of Puerto Rico Advance College High School in Bayamon in the sixth round of the 2007 Draft, the same round the Red Sox selected Anthony Rizzo. He reported to the Royals' rookie league squad—which played in Phoenix at the time—and was teammates with a 17-year old catcher named Salvador Perez. When Cruz converted to a pitcher in 2011 he returned to the AZL Royals at their spring training ballpark in Surprise.
Surprise Stadium, built in 2002, is the spring training home of both the Royals and Rangers, and is the home ballpark for the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League. The venue also hosts an annual College Baseball Classic at Surprise Stadium. The city of Surprise is one of Phoenix's rapidly growing suburbs, ranking as the state's tenth most populous municipality.
Leones de Ponce
League: Puerto Rican Winter League
Ballpark: Estadio Francisco Montaner, Ponce, PR
Years Played: 2008-09, 2013
In the winter of 2008, Cruz went home to Puerto Rico to play in the Winter League for the first time. Unsurprisingly, the Liga PR has been the most frequent stop on his baseball itinerary, and to date he has pitched for four of its six franchises. He has also represented Puerto Rico various times in the Caribbean Series, and pitched for them in the World Baseball Classic in 2023.
A professional baseball league in Puerto Rico has existed in some form since the 1930s, and Leones are one of the three franchises (with Caguas and Mayagüez) from those early days which still play today. Ponce is the island's fourth-largest city, located on the southern coast. It is the hometown of Roberto Alomar, Orlando Cepeda, Carlos Correa, and Yankees legend Ricky Ledée, among others.
Burlington Royals
League: Appalachian League (Rookie)
Ballpark: Burlington Athletic Stadium, Burlington, NC
Years Played: 2008-09
Cruz's next stop in affiliated ball as an infielder took him to Burlington, North Carolina. There had been a Rookie League team there since 1986, initially as Cleveland's affiliate. They switched to the Royals' organization in 2007.
The B-Royals and the rest of the Appalachian League were furloughed from affiliated ball with the contraction of the minors in 2021. The league now operates as a collegiate summer league, and one of its member franchises is the delightfully named Burlington Sock Puppets. They also play their home games at Burlington Athletic Stadium, which has seen its share of history since opening in 1960. Here's a short article on a 27-inning game played on that field back in 1988.
Burlington Bees
League: Midwest League (Single-A)
Ballpark: Community Field, Burlington, IA
Years Played: 2010
This is why you triple check your lists, folks. After playing a few rookie ball seasons in Burlington, Cruz played the following year in a different Burlington almost 900 miles away. The Bees were in affiliated ball from 1962 until the 2021 contraction, when they joined the collegiate Prospect League. Community Field has stood since 1947.
Indios de Mayagüez
League: Puerto Rican Winter League
Ballpark: Estadio Isidoro Garcia, Mayagüez, PR
Years Played: 2010-12
Unlike most other major Puerto Rican cities with Spanish colonial monikers, the name Mayagüez comes from the indigenous Taíno word for "clear waters". Notable Mayagüezanos who have played in MLB include José Vidro, Wil Cordero, and Roberto Pérez. Indios were named after the local beer company, Cervecería India.
Kane County Cougars
League: Midwest League (Single-A)
Ballpark: Northwestern Medicine Field, Geneva, IL
Years Played: 2011
After just a handful of games in Geneva with the Single-A Cougars where he struggled to a .472 OPS, Cruz would put down the bat for good and begin his transition to the hill. The Cougars, Midwest League denizens since their founding in 1991, would face the same crossroads as several other low-minors squads on this list when they too were cut from affiliated ball. They are now part of the 12-team American Association of Professional Baseball, which is an MLB partner league. One of Cruz's new teammates, Jake Cousins, pitched in the AAPB in 2020. So did Max Scherzer, way back in 2007.
Idaho Falls Chukars
League: Pioneer League (Rookie)
Ballpark: Melaleuca Field, Idaho Falls, ID
Years Played: 2012
Idaho Falls was Cruz's last stop in the Royals organization before he was released at the end of the 2012 season. A chukar is a kind of pheasant which is native to Asia but was introduced to the Americas as a game bird.
You know this song and dance by now: the Chukars and the rest of the Pioneer League were de-affiliated. Instead of going to extra innings, Pioneer League games enter a Knockout Round, which is essentially a sudden-death home run derby.
Cangrejeros de Santurce
League: Puerto Rican Winter League
Ballpark: Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, PR
Years Played: 2014-19, 2021-24
Over the years, Santurce in San Juan has become Cruz's most frequent stop for Winter League ball in Puerto Rico. He's pitched 203.2 innings for the Crabbers, including three frames this winter.
Santurce fielded the most legendary winter league team of all time in 1954, when Willie Mays and Roberto Clemente joined forces on the 'Panic Squad', which won a Puerto Rican league title and the ensuing Caribbean Series in Carácas.
The Montreal Expos played part of their 2003 and 2004 home schedule at Hiram Birthorn Stadium before moving to Washington. The ballpark has hosted several other MLB games, including a Rangers-Blue Jays season opener in 2001 and a memorable two-game set between the Indians and Twins in 2018.
Tennessee Smokies
League: Southern League (Double-A)
Ballpark: Smokies Stadium, Kodak, TN
Years Played: 2015
In 2014, Cruz signed a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs. He started the season with their Double-A affiliate, the Smokies. This was an exciting time to be in the Cubs' system, ranked the top farm in baseball. Cruz played with the likes of Kyle Schwarber, Willson Contreras, Albert Almora, and Jeimer Candelario at Double-A. Cruz would not join them in breaking the Cubs' long curse—he was released at season's end.
This season the Smokies will move from Smokies Park to Covenant Health Park in Knoxville and take on the city's name. They will share the field with a Division III soccer squad named One Knoxville SC.
Myrtle Beach Pelicans
League: Carolina League (Advanced-A)
Ballpark: Pelicans Ballpark, Myrtle Beach, SC
Years Played: 2015
Partly through the season, Cruz was re-assigned to newly-minted Chicago affiliate Myrtle Beach, which was on their way to the first of back-to-back Carolina League championships. As of 2021, Myrtle Beach is now the Cubs' Single-A affiliate, with the South Bend Cubs serving as the new Advanced-A club.
Iowa Cubs
League: Pacific Coast League (Triple-A)
Ballpark: Principal Park, Des Moines, IA
Years Played: 2015
Cruz played just one game with Iowa, making this his shortest stop on the journey. He gave up 10 runs on 10 hits in four innings.
Iowa was one of the first clubs to be acquired by Diamond Baseball Holdings, the rapidly expanding MiLB management group owned by the private equity firm Silver Lake.
New Jersey Jackals
League: Canadian-American Association (Independent)
Ballpark: Yogi Berra Stadium, Little Falls, NJ
Years Played: 2016-18
After being released by the Cubs, Cruz headed to the Tri-State Area to pitch for the Jackals of the Can-Am League, his first foray into unaffiliated ball in the contiguous States. He would toss 131.1 innings across parts of three seasons there.
As of 2020, the Jackals play in the Frontier League, another MLB Partner League like the Pioneer League and AAPB. They have moved into Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, which is on the list of National Historic Landmarks and was once the home of the New York Black Yankees, New York Cubans, and Newark Eagles.
Caribes del Anzoátegui
League: Venezuelan Winter League
Ballpark: Estadio Alfonso 'Chico' Carrasquel, Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela
Years Played: 2017
Cruz's travels through Latin America began in winter of 2017 with a trip down to Venezuela. He pitched in 12 games with the Caribes before returning to Santurce in Puerto Rico.
The Caribes are among the newer teams in Venezuela's 12-team league, established in 1987. Their stadium is named after Chico Carrasquel, the White Sox shortstop who reached four All-Star games in the 1950s. His uncle, Álex Carrasquel, was the first Venezuela native to play in MLB.
Pericos de Puebla
League: Mexican League
Ballpark: Estadio Hermanos Serdán - Puebla, Mexico
Years Played: 2018
Cruz's first of two stops to date in Mexico brought him to Puebla, Mexico's fourth largest city located about 60 miles east of Mexico City. The Pericos (Parakeets en inglés), have five Mexican League titles.
Not far from Puebla is the volcano Popocatéptl, which remains active and erupted in December of 2018, a few months after Cruz left. Last February, it erupted 13 times in a 24-hour span. Don't mess with nature.
Tigres del Licey
League: LIDOM
Ballpark: Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Years Played: 2020
The year 2020 brought changes in routine for everybody, and the same went for Cruz when he started the winter pitching in the Dominican Republic instead of Puerto Rico. He appeared in nine games for Licey, LIDOM's oldest and most decorated franchise. Estadio Quisqueya has served as their home since 1955.
One franchise cornerstone for Licey sits above their field: their broadcaster, Franklin Mirabal. Mirabal is known for his heavily...let's say partisan style, and for sprinkling in English phrases like "here's the pitch," "key moment of the game," and "I can't believe it!" I have to imagine fans of other teams (who I have heard all hate Licey) can't stomach a second of his work, but I can't help but enjoy his enthusiasm. ¡Señooooooreeeeees!
Criollos de Caguas
League: Puerto Rican Winter League
Ballpark: Estadio Solá Morales, Caguas, PR
Years Played: 2020
Caguas are the fourth and final Liga PR team on our bucket list, and they are the most successful franchise in league history with 21 championships. Alex Cora sits on their board of directors. Thirteen Caguas natives, including the Cora brothers and Francisco Lindor, have suited up in MLB.
Mariachis de Guadalajara/Charros de Jalisco
League: Mexican League/Mexican Pacific Winter League
Ballpark: Estadio Panamericano, Guadalajara, Mexico
Years Played: 2021
This one's a bit complicated. The Mariachis were established to play in the Mexican League in 2021 and shared Estadio Panamericano with the Charros, who play in the Pacific Winter League. Cruz played for both of them in 2021. As of 2023, the Mariachis no longer exist and have been folded into the Charros, who now play in both leagues. Got it?
Louisville Bats
League: International League (Triple-A)
Ballpark: Louisville Slugger Field, Louisville, KY
Years Played: 2022-23
In the winter of 2021, while watching winter league ball in Puerto Rico, Reds scout Juan Silva sent his club some video of a righty reliever with some intriguing stuff. That reliever was Cruz, and the Reds liked what they saw, signing him to a minor league deal the following January.
Cruz reported to Triple-A Louisville and pitched to a sub-3 ERA in 56 frames, resulting in a September call-up to the big club.
Cincinnati Reds
League: National League (MLB)
Ballpark: Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH
Years Played: 2022-24
We've finally arrived at Cruz's most recent stop: the Majors! He made his MLB debut on September 2, 2022, striking out two Rockies in a scoreless inning. Overall, he appeared in 141 games with the Reds, pitching to a 4.52 ERA with 228 strikeouts in 147 innings. His 3.06 FIP and 36.1 percent K rate suggests a far better pitcher than what those so-so surface stats convey. But regardless of whether he takes that next step forward, let's just embrace the culmination of this remarkable journey, which took him through so many eclectic locales and baseball leagues.
