Chicago Cubs: Yovanny Cruz is the latest teenager to watch in the future

Chicago Cubs: Working toward his dream

The 2015 international signing period for the Cubs saw the club spend most of its capital which left them with a lot less money to play with the following two seasons. Chicago’s brass is a crafty crew, however, and managed to find unforeseen talent at an exceptionally affordable rate.

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Cruz began his professional journey in the Arizona Rookie League, in 2017. There, Cruz started 12 games and finished his summer throwing 56.1 innings and posting an excellent 3.51 ERA along with a 3.16 FIP and 2.83 xFIP, respectively. The most impressive thing about it was the fact that Cruz was just 17 years old.

Last season, Cruz once again dominated the AZL. This time around, he started ten games. In that span, Cruz threw 44 innings and posting a dominant 2.86 ERA along with a 27.2% strikeout rate. He also managed to cut his HR/9 in half, holding opposing hitters to a .214 batting average.

Because of his brilliance in the AZL, Cruz earned a promotion to Low-A Eugene where he made one start for the Emeralds. In that start, Cruz worked five scoreless innings giving up four hits, zero walks, and five strikeouts. Exciting, to say the least.