But reporters weren’t swarming Cruz because of what he’d be doing on the field Saturday. Instead, many of them wanted to ask what his former LSU teammate Paul Skenes would be doing Tuesday night at Globe Life Field. Skenes, last year’s first-round draft pick and a Rookie of the Year candidate for the Pittsburgh Pirates, is 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 was hit by Skenes while the big right-hander was at Air Force. By the time Skenes transferred to Louisiana State University to help the Tigers win the 2023 championship, Cruz had established himself as one of the best collegiate hitters in recent memory. This time last year, the two were likely to be the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the draft, and the only question was which one would be the No. 1 pick.
The Pirates selected Skenes and the Nationals selected Cruz, who has thrived through the minor leagues and batted .253 with a .713 OPS in his first 20 games with Class AAA Rochester, making him one of the quickest movers in a typical draft class.
But Cruz and Skenes were the top picks in a class that also featured Florida star Wyatt Langford, who went in at No. 4. Skenes debuted with much fanfare in May, posting a 1.90 ERA in his first 11 games. Langford joined the Texas Rangers out of spring training and has batted .254 with a .702 OPS in his first 72 major league games. Cruz, who also recently watched Nationals prospect James Wood debut, can’t be blamed for feeling a bit left behind. But if the 22-year-old felt like he’d put on weight, it clearly didn’t show on Saturday.
“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 a quiet confidence, a time-honored calm under pressure that sets him apart among his peers. In some ways, his sturdiness in the spotlight makes him seem a bit like Bryce Harper, but the comparison is unfair. Cruz wasn’t Baseball America’s No. 4 prospect because of his incredible power or the years of expectation he faced as a teenager. He became a polished hitter known for his speed and intelligence, a man with power and adaptability in the gaps. And it was because he was crushed by pressure and expectation in high school and then learned how to handle both in college.
“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’s power has increased against the off-speed pitching style common at the advanced levels, going from five home runs in 51 games with Harrisburg to three in 20 games with Rochester. His strikeout rate also dropped, from 24 percent in Harrisburg to 19 percent in Rochester, though the sample size is much smaller.
“As you move up, 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.”
From the Nationals’ perspective, Cruz is not far behind Wood in terms of major league preparation, according to people familiar with Washington’s thinking. It remains to be seen whether Cruz will debut this season or enter spring training ready to play in the major leagues. Regardless of when he does debut, Cruz is likely ahead of the typical development schedule for other top draft picks. Cruz himself said his development schedule is on track.
“[Wood]is great. He’s an unbelievable talent, a guy that makes a unique sound when he hits the ball,” Cruz said. “He’s doing his thing up there, and whenever it’s my turn to be up there, I’ll be ready.”
