The New York Yankees have added another hard-throwing pitcher to their collection.
While Carlos Lagrange has stolen most of the headlines when it comes to New York Yankees pitcher this offseason, a new contender has emerged to potentially make the Yankees' big-league roster.
Yovanny Cruz.
New York signed Cruz back in mid-November in a move that basically received zero notoriety. And why would it? Yankees fans were waiting on far bigger news at the time, and Cruz had never thrown a single pitch on the major-league level.
But on Friday against the Atlanta Braves, the 26-year-old made his Spring Training debut for the Yanks, and to say he was electrifying would be an understatement.
Cruz tossed just one inning, but he opened up a whole lot of eyes by hitting 102 mph on his fastball (and his sinker) and striking out two hitters. He threw just 15 pitches in the frame, and now, it looks like New York may another sleeper bullpen arm in its midst.
The right-hander had spent time with three different organization before joining the Yankees, having stints with the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and, most recently, the Boston Red Sox.
New York Yankees pitcher Yovanny Cruz. Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images.Across seven minor-league seasons, Cruz has logged a 3.49 ERA while averaging 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings over 116 outings, 30 of them coming as starts. However, Cruz's last start came back in 2019.
The Dominican native is now a full-time reliever, and with New York needing another hurler in its bullpen, Cruz could be a sneaky candidate to make the roster.
Over the years, the Yankees have made a habit out finding diamonds in the rough when it comes to relief pitchers. Luke Weaver and Fernando Cruz are recent examples, and Yovanny Cruz could very well be added to the list.
The primary drawback to Cruz's game is his control. He walked 6.7 batters per nine frames last year (yikes), and he owns a lifetime 4.2 BB/9 (which is still a full walk lower than Lagrange's career average).
But there is no doubting that his stuff is absolutely nasty, and I could absolutely envision a world in which he beats out names like Cade Winquest, Angel Chivilli and even Jake Bird for a slot in New York's bullpen.
Of course, we need to see more from Cruz before we make any definitive judgments, but there is no question that his performance on Friday raised plenty of eyebrows.
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