Cuban left-hander Naykel Cruz is going to hold a showcase for interested clubs next week in the Dominican Republic, reports Francys Romero of BeisbolFR. Last week, Romero relayed on X that the lefty was expected to sign as a professional rather than an amateur and had interest from six MLB clubs.
During his time in the Cuban National Series, Cruz tossed 241 1/3 innings, allowing 4.18 earned runs per nine. He struck out 205 of the 1,074 batters he faced, a rate of 19.1%. He also gave out walks 15.5% of the time. In his most recent season, he was fairly similar with a 19.8% strikeout rate and 15.8% walk rate. He made Cuba’s roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, though made just one appearance which lasted two thirds of an inning.
While the stats might not jump out, Romero relays that Cruz was throwing 90-92 miles per hour during his time in Cuba but has been able to increase that to the 94-95 mph range more recently. He also throws a curveball, sinker and changeup.
Per MLB rules, players coming from foreign leagues such as those in Japan, Korea or Cuba are considered “amateurs” until they are both 25 years old and have played six professional seasons. According to his Baseball Reference page, Cruz turned 25 in September and started playing in the Cuban National Series in 2019.
The distinction can often be important for a player’s earning power, seen most starkly with players coming over from Japan. Yoshinobu Yamamoto waited until he was considered a professional to come to MLB and was able to secure himself a $325MM guarantee. On the other hand, Shohei Ohtani came over when he was still considered an amateur and was therefore subject to the hard-capped limits of the international signing system, securing a $2.315MM bonus when he signed with the Angels.
Last year, fellow Cuban Yariel Rodríguez was declared a free agent and was able to secure a $32MM guarantee from the Blue Jays ahead of his age-27 season. However, Rodríguez was coming off a strong run of play in Japan wherein he tossed 175 1/3 innings over three seasons with a 3.03 ERA, 25.4% strikeout rate and 10.4% walk rate. He dropped his ERA to 1.15 in his final season playing in Nippon Professional Baseball, striking out 27.5% of batters faced and limiting walks to an 8.3% clip.
It’s unclear if Cruz will actually be considered a professional as he only played in four CNS campaigns. He also played in the Cuban Elite League, a winter ball league, the Mexican League and the WBC. It was reported by Cuba’s Radio 26 in February that Cruz would play for the Kitchener Panthers of Canada’s Intercounty Baseball League but he’s not listed on the Panthers’ stat page and Romero says that Cruz arrived in the Dominican Republic in April with the goal of signing with an MLB club.
His status may be something of a moot point as he won’t have the kind of earning power to get a massive deal. He is probably seen as more of a long-term project than an exciting finished product, as his tools are more interesting than his track record.
There were less than 50 lefties who threw at least 250 pitches in 2024 and averaged over 94 mph on their fastballs, per Statcast, so that kind of arsenal could be attractive to clubs. That could be enough to get him a shot somewhere, making him an intriguing under-the-radar name to watch in the coming months.
TerryTurnbuckle
The Cuba Tropicals are the next big thing and will be producing future NHL stars soon. Baseball is dying there at an even faster rate than the US.
Inside Out
Baseball is not dying in the US. Attendance and viewership keeps growing. Stop putting out false info Felon Trump
Holy Cow
Inside don’t talk about your president like that.
sillywabbit
How bad does an ideology or candidate need to be for a felon to even have a chance?
kellin
@silly His cultists don’t think he’s a felon, that’s why.
billysbballz
Her cultists like yourself depend on his cultist to work so they can stay home in there mommy’s basement and collect welfare.
Holy Cow
I hope you guys know more about baseball than you do about politics and life.
Lindor's Bodyguard
Chances are…
HalosHeavenJJ
Young enough to have some time, old enough to need to get to MLB pretty soon to possibly reach free agency in time for a potentially big payday.
Head to Cleveland, Seattle, LA, or perhaps Pittsburgh for the best combo of development and path to playing time. Come to the Angels to get immediately brought to MLB and shelled.
sillywabbit
Seattle really? Their 5 starters are kinda established & good.
ButCanHePitch
With a walk rate like that. Nah. Pass.
prov356
I’m doing a showcase too. I think I have a chance of getting picked up by the Angels or White Sox.
TerryTurnbuckle
You’d be making 740,000 minimum for roughly 8 months of work. I’d shut it and lay off making fun of the Angels and WhiteSox. They wouldn’t even hire you as a parking attendant.
prov356
Welp, as a life long Angels fan, I can make fun of my team. Being born in Chicago, I can make fun of the White Sox. And maybe don’t be hyper-sensitive on a comment that has nothing to do with you. It was a joke so maybe chill a bit.