But reporters weren’t there to hear what Cruz would do in Saturday’s game; Former LSU teammatePaul Skenes will be performing at Globe Life Field on Tuesday night. Skenes played at the NBA last year. First choice and Pittsburgh Pirates Rookie of the Year Candidateis scheduled to start in the National League All-Star Game, becoming the first rookie to do so in 30 years.
“I’m very happy for him. He deserves everything,” Cruz said. “I’m not surprised at all that he’s starting.”
Cruz and Skenes have long been linked by a strange thread of baseball history. Cruz’s first collegiate home run came off Skenes when the big right-hander was at Air Force. By the time Skenes transferred to Louisiana State University for the Tigers’ 2023 championship, Cruz had established himself as one of the best collegiate hitters in recent memory. This time last year, the two looked certain to be the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the draft, and the only question was which one would be No. 1.
The Pirates got Skenes. The Nationals got Cruz. Cruz came through the minor leagues and Batting average: .253, OPS: .713 He’s played his first 20 games with Class AAA Rochester and has the kind of resume that makes him one of the quickest movers in a typical draft class.
But Cruz and Skenes were the top picks in a class that included Florida standout Wyatt Langford finishing fourth. Skenes made his debut with much fanfare in May, 1.90 ERA in first 11 gamesLangford signed with the Texas Rangers out of spring training and is batting .254 with a .702 OPS in his first 72 major league games. Nationals prospect James Wood makes debut He has been criticised in recent weeks for feeling a bit left behind, but if the 22-year-old felt he had gained weight, it didn’t show in Saturday’s match.
“There’s no pressure. It’s just going to be my time,” Cruz said. “It’s not up to me to decide. I’m just going to keep doing what I have to do. I’m just going to stand on my own two feet every day and do what I have to do that day to be at a high level.”
Cruz carries himself with quiet confidence, a time-honored calm under pressure and a palpable sense of self that stands out among his peers. In some ways, he’s approachable, a little Harper-like in his ruggedness in the spotlight, but the comparisons to Bryce Harper are unfair even to whispers. Cruz didn’t become Baseball America’s No. 4 pick because of his immense power or teenage expectations. He’s become a polished hitter known for his speed and his intelligence, a guy with power and adaptability to the gaps. And he did it because he learned how to do both in college after being crushed by pressure and expectations in high school.
“Going to college really helped me take it day by day,” Cruz said. “In high school, I was just thinking about the draft and not what was going on at the time. I went to college to kind of reset myself. Going through the minor league system really helped me focus on what I need to do.”
Cruz started the season slowly with Class AA Harrisburg, batting .234 with a .676 OPS on May 14. By mid-June he was batting .274 with a .789 OPS, five home runs and 15 stolen bases, and he recovered quickly enough to be promoted to Class AAA on June 18.
Since then, Cruz has powered up against the off-speed pitching style that’s so prevalent in the AAA ranks these days, hitting five home runs in 51 games with Harrisburg before hitting three in 20 games with Rochester. His strikeout rate also dropped from 24 percent in Harrisburg to 19 percent in Rochester, although the sample size is much smaller.
“I think as you move up the ranks, guys get more refined. They know how to throw the third, fourth and fifth pitch for a strike,” Cruz said. “As a hitter, you have to embrace that and teach yourself how to hit your own pitches. … I’ve learned a lot as I’ve moved up the ranks.”
From the Nationals’ perspective, Cruz isn’t too far behind Wood in terms of major league readiness, according to people familiar with Washington’s thinking. Whether that means Cruz debuts this year or enters spring training in 2025 with a guaranteed major league playing career remains to be seen. Regardless of when he debuts, Cruz is likely ahead of the typical development schedule for other top draft picks. Cruz himself has said his development schedule is on track.
“[Wood] “He’s great. He’s an unbelievable talent, a guy who just swings the bat and makes a different sound,” Cruz said. “He’s doing his thing out there, and whenever the time comes that I can be there, I’ll be ready.”
