Rhiner Augusto Cruz Montero (born 1 November 1986) is a 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 ...

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

who is a free agent. He has played in

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) for the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

and

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...

, and in

Nippon Professional Baseball is a professional baseball league and the highest level of baseball in Japan. Locally, it is often called , meaning simply ''Professional Baseball''; outside of Japan, NPB is often referred to as "Japanese baseball". The roots of the league ...

(NPB) for the

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles The , often shortened as the , are a baseball team based in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. It has played in Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League since the team's formation in November 2004. The team is owned by the Internet shopping ...

. Born in the Dominican Republic, he plays for the

Spain national baseball team The Spain national baseball team is the national team of Spain. It is governed by the Royal Spanish Baseball and Softball Federation. It is a member nation of the Confédération Européenne de Baseball, or Confederation of European Baseball. Hi ...

at the international level.

Professional career

Detroit Tigers

Cruz began his career 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 ...

in 2004. He spent the 2004 and 2005 seasons with the

GCL Tigers The Florida Complex League Tigers are a Rookie-level affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Tigers. The team plays its home game ...

. He was released after the 2005 season.

New York Mets

Cruz signed 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 ...

organization for the 2007 season. In 2007, he played for the

DSL Mets After withdrawing their affiliate from the Venezuelan Summer League, the Major League Baseball's New York Mets have had two affiliates in the Dominican Summer League The Dominican Summer League (DSL) is a branch of affiliated Minor League Bas ...

GCL Mets The Florida Complex League Mets are a Rookie-level affiliate for the New York Mets, competing in the Florida Complex League of Minor League Baseball. Prior to 2021, the team was known as the Gulf Coast League Mets. The team plays its home games at ...

, and

Kingsport Mets The Kingsport Mets were a Minor League Baseball team of the Appalachian League from 1921 to 2020. They were located in Kingsport, Tennessee, and were last named for the team's major league affiliate, the New York Mets. The team played its home g ...

. In 2008, Cruz played for the

Brooklyn Cyclones The Brooklyn Cyclones are a Minor League Baseball team of the South Atlantic League and the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and play at Maimonides Park, just off the Coney Island ...

and

Savannah Sand Gnats The Savannah Sand Gnats were a minor league baseball team based in Savannah, Georgia. They were a member of the A-level South Atlantic League. The Sand Gnats were an affiliate of the New York Mets in their final nine seasons. The team relocated t ...

. For 2009, Cruz played for Savannah the entirety of the season. In 2010, he was assigned to the

St. Lucie Mets The St. Lucie Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the Florida State League and the Single-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and play their home games at Clover Park. The Mets have been members ...

, where he would spend the entire season. In 2011, he spent time with St. Lucie, and the

Binghamton Mets The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are an American Minor League Baseball team based in Binghamton, New York. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets major-league club. The Rumble Ponies play in Mi ...

Houston Astros

Cruz was selected by the Astros the first overall selection of the 2011

Rule 5 draft The Rule 5 draft is a Major League Baseball (MLB) player draft that occurs each year in December, at the annual Winter Meeting of general managers. The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor lea ...

. Cruz was named to the Astros'

Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...

roster. Cruz spent the 2012 season in the majors for the Astros. He also played parts of the 2013 season in the majors as well. On December 23, 2013, Cruz was sent outright to the

Oklahoma City RedHawks Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, and off of the 40-man roster. He began 2016 with the RedHawks before he released on June 2, 2014, to pursue an opportunity in Japan.

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles

In June 2014, the Astros permitted Cruz to sign with the

. Cruz would finish the 2014 season with the Eagles. Cruz also played the 2015 season with the Eagles before becoming a free agent at seasons end.

Leones de Yucatan

On April 30, 2016, Cruz signed with the

Leones de Yucatán The Leones de Yucatán (English: Yucatán Lions) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The team plays its home games at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán. The Leones have won the Mexican League title five times in 1957 ...

of the

Mexican 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 ...

. He was released on May 15, 2016. He appeared in 7 games 6 innings of relief with a 0-2 record and a 7.50 era with 7 strikeouts.

Vaqueros Laguna

On May 18, 2016, Cruz signed with the

Vaqueros Laguna The ''vaquero'' (; , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in what what is today Mexico (then New Spain) and Spanish Florida from a method brought to the Americ ...

, and was released on May 22. In 1 game 1 inning of relief he gave up 2 earned runs and had 2 strikeouts.

Atlanta Braves

On December 13, 2016, Cruz signed a minor league deal with the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

organization. He spent the year 2017 with the Triple–A

Gwinnett Braves The Gwinnett Stripers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. They play their home games at Coolray Field in unincorporated Gwinnett County, Georgia (with a Lawrencevi ...

, making 40 appearances and recorded a 2.84 ERA with 63 strikeouts and 5 saves in innings of work. He elected free agency following the season on November 6, 2017.

Toronto Blue Jays

Cruz signed a minor league contract with the

on January 25, 2018, and received an invitation to spring training. On July 4, 2018, Cruz had his contract selected and was added to the active roster. He pitched two shutout innings in relief that night against the

. He was placed on the disabled list with a groin injury a few days later and would not return that season. On November 2, 2018, Cruz cleared waivers and entered free agency.

Nettuno Baseball Club

On July 8, 2021, Cruz signed with the

Nettuno Baseball Club Nettuno BC 1945 is an Italian baseball club located in Nettuno, a ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Rome. The club competes in the first division (Serie A) of the Italian Baseball League. Training and home matches are held at Stadio Steno B ...

of the

Italian Baseball League The Italian Baseball League (IBL, ), officially known as the Serie A (), is the top-level baseball league in Italy. Founded in 1948, it is governed by the Italian Baseball & Softball Federation (FIBS), which has its headquarters in Rome. Many o ...

(IBL). Cruz made 4 appearances for Nettuno, tallying 15 strikeouts and 1 save across 6.0 scoreless innings.

Piratas de Campeche

On June 23, 2022, Cruz was signed by the

Piratas de Campeche The Piratas de Campeche (English: Campeche Pirates) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League (LMB) based in Campeche, Campeche, Mexico. History In 1980, the Alacranes de Durango moved to Campeche, and played their home games at Ven ...

of the

. In 13 relief appearances for Campeche, he struggled to an 8.10 ERA with 9 strikeouts across innings pitched. Cruz was released on March 28, 2023.Rhiner Cruz Stats, Highlights, Bio , MiLB.com Stats , The Official Site of Minor League Baseball
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International career

Cruz played for the Spanish national baseball team at the

2009 Baseball World Cup The 2009 Baseball World Cup (BWC) was the 38th international men's amateur baseball tournament. The tournament was sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation, which titled it the Amateur World Series from the 1938 tournament through th ...

and the

2013 World Baseball Classic The 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was an international professional baseball competition, held from March 2 to 19, 2013. This was the third iteration of the WBC, following the two previous tournaments, held in 2006 and 2009. Unlike the tw ...

. In 2022, Cruz was selected to represent

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

at the

2023 World Baseball Classic qualification The qualifying round of the 2023 World Baseball Classic, officially called The World Baseball Classic 2022 Qualifiers was held from 16 September 2022 to 5 October 2022. Teams which participated at the 2017 World Baseball Classic automatically qu ...

Personal life

He held dual Dominican Republic and Spanish citizenship. Cruz' brother,

José José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced ...

, also plays for the Spanish national team.

References

External links

NPB
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz, Rhiner 1986 births Living people Binghamton Mets players Brooklyn Cyclones players Buffalo Bisons (minor league) players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Canada Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Japan Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Mexico Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in the United States Dominican Summer League Mets players Gigantes del Cibao players Gulf Coast Mets players Gulf Coast Tigers players Gwinnett Braves players Houston Astros players Kingsport Mets players Leones de Yucatán players Leones del Caracas players Major League Baseball pitchers Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Mexican League baseball pitchers Nippon Professional Baseball pitchers Oklahoma City RedHawks players Piratas de Campeche players Savannah Sand Gnats players Spanish baseball players Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Canada Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Japan Spanish expatriate sportspeople in Mexico Spanish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Spanish people of Dominican Republic descent Sportspeople of Dominican Republic descent Baseball players from Santo Domingo St. Lucie Mets players Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles players Toronto Blue Jays players Vaqueros Laguna players 2007 European Baseball Championship players 2013 World Baseball Classic players 2019 European Baseball Championship players 2021 European Baseball Championship players Dominican Republic expatriate baseball players in Venezuela