Jacob Cruz (born January 28, 1973), is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

former

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to catch ...

and current

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

. He is an assistant hitting coach for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

(MLB) and previously played professionally in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

College

Cruz was drafted straight out of high school in by the

California Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...

, but did not sign; instead, choosing to play baseball for

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

. Cruz was drafted in the 1st round (32nd overall) of the

1994 Major League Baseball draft The 1994 Major League Baseball draft took place in June 1994. The draft saw the New York Mets select Paul Wilson first overall. First round selections The following are the first round picks in the 1994 Major League Baseball draft. Supplem ...

by the

, signing the next month.

Major League Baseball

Cruz would make his Major League debut on July 18, 1996. Cruz spent most of 1996 and in the Giants minor league system and after playing for the Giants Triple-A affiliate, the

Fresno Grizzlies The Fresno Grizzlies are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies. They are located in Fresno, California, and play their home games at Chukchansi Park, which was opened in 2002 in ...

, for most of the season, was traded to the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

on July 23, 1998, along with Steve Reed, for

Shawon Dunston Shawon Donnell Dunston (born March 21, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player. A shortstop, Dunston played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1985 through 2002. On January 13, 2023, he was selected as a member of the 2023 class ...

José Mesa José Ramón Nova Mesa (; born May 22, 1966) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1987 through 2007. He played for the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, ...

, and Alvin Morman. Cruz would play one game for the Indians in and would spend the rest of the year playing for the

Buffalo Bisons The Buffalo Bisons (known colloquially as the Herd) are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Located in Buffalo, New York, the team plays their home games at Sahlen Fiel ...

, the Indians' Triple-A affiliate. On June 2, , the Indians traded Cruz to the

Colorado Rockies The Colorado Rockies are an American professional baseball team based in Denver. The Rockies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Division. Th ...

for

Jody Gerut Joseph Diego Gerut (born September 18, 1977) is an American former professional baseball center fielder who played six seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Initially drafted by the Colorado Rockies, he played for several teams between 2003 and ...

and Josh Bard. Cruz would play 44 games for the Rockies and 20 for their Triple-A affiliate, the

Colorado Springs Sky Sox The Colorado Springs Sky Sox were a Minor League Baseball team in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The team played in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and was the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers (2015–2018), Colorado R ...

, before being released by the Rockies on November 30, 2001. On December 21, 2001, Cruz signed with the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

. Cruz played 35 games for the Tigers and was released on October 3, . On December 27, 2002, Cruz signed with the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Divisi ...

. He would spend the next three years in the Reds organization, including appearing in a career-high 110 games in . Released by the Reds on April 14, , Cruz signed a minor league contract with the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

on May 30, 2006. Cruz played 55 games for the Mets Triple-A affiliate, the

Norfolk Tides The Norfolk Tides are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. They are located in Norfolk, Virginia, and are named in nautical reference to the city's loc ...

, the rest of the year and was granted free agency at the end of the season.

Korea

Before the start of the season, Cruz signed a contract with the

Hanwha Eagles The Hanwha Eagles () are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Daejeon that competes in the KBO League. The Eagles' home ballpark is Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark. They have won the Korean Series once, in 1999, and the league penn ...

of the

Korea Baseball Organization The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO; ) is the Sport governing body, governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. The KBO was founded in 1981 and has governed two leagues: the KBO League () and KBO Futures League ( (F ...

. Cruz had an excellent season with the Eagles, hitting .321 with 22

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...

s and 85 RBI. Before the start of the season, Cruz signed with the

Samsung Lions The Samsung Lions () are a South Korean professional baseball team founded in 1982. They are based in the southeastern city of Daegu and are members of the KBO League. Their home stadium is Daegu Samsung Lions Park. They have won the Korean Cha ...

. Cruz was cut by the Lions on May 23, 2008.

Mexico

After his release from the Lions, Cruz signed to play for the

Potros de Tijuana The Potros de Tijuana (English: Tijuana Colts) were a professional baseball team based in Tijuana, Baja California. The Potros played in the Mexican Pacific League and later in the Mexican League. The team played their home games at the Estadio N ...

of the

Mexican Baseball League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

for the 2008 season. In 2009, he played for the Dorados de Chihuahua.

American Association

On August 9, 2010, Cruz was signed by the

Sioux City Explorers The Sioux City Explorers are a professional baseball team based in Sioux City, Iowa, in the United States. The Explorers are inaugural members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseba ...

of the American Association and batted .400 in 80 at-bats. He also hit 4 home runs and had 26 RBI.

Coaching career

On December 13, 2010, the

Arizona Diamondbacks The Arizona Diamondbacks are an American professional baseball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. The franchise was established ...

hired Cruz to be the Hitting Coach of the

Yakima Bears The Yakima Bears were a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, located in Yakima, Washington. The Bears competed at the Class A Short Season level as members of the Northwest League from 1990 to 2012. Following the 2012 season ...

, the Diamondbacks Short Season Class A team. On November 22, 2011, Cruz was promoted to Hitting Coach of the

Visalia Rawhide The Visalia Rawhide are a Minor League Baseball team of the California League and the Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are located in Visalia, California, and have played their home games at Valley Strong Ballpark since their ...

, the Diamondbacks Advanced Class A team. Cruz was the hitting coach for the

Tennessee Smokies The Knoxville Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in Knoxville, Tennessee. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The team was based in Kodak, Tennessee, a Knoxville suburb, fr ...

in 2017 and 2018. Cruz then served as the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central ...

assistant hitting coach for the 2019 season. Cruz was hired as the assistant hitting coach for the

Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. The Brewers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Di ...

prior to the 2020 season. Cruz was permitted to speak to other teams following the conclusion of the Brewers' 2021 season.

Personal life

Cruz is of Mexican descent.

References

External links

Career statistics and player information
from

Korean Info
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Jacob 1973 births Living people American baseball players of Mexican descent American expatriate baseball players in Mexico American expatriate baseball players in South Korea American expatriate baseball players in Taiwan Baseball coaches from California Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Cleveland Indians players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Colorado Rockies players Cincinnati Reds players Detroit Tigers players Dorados de Chihuahua players Fresno Grizzlies players Hanwha Eagles players KBO League outfielders La New Bears players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball hitting coaches Major League Baseball outfielders Mexican League baseball first basemen Mexican League baseball left fielders Mexican League baseball right fielders Milwaukee Brewers coaches Minor league baseball coaches Norfolk Tides players Phoenix Firebirds players Pittsburgh Pirates coaches Samsung Lions players San Francisco Giants players San Jose Giants players Shreveport Captains players Sioux City Explorers players Baseball players from Oxnard, California Toledo Mud Hens players