Humberto Cruz

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked San Diego Padres #6 prospect in 2026
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/High
  
  Adjusted Grade: 35
  
  Track Record: Cruz headlined the group of international pitchers the Padres signed in 2024. San Diego needed more bonus pool space to get Cruz’s deal across the finish line, so the Padres opted to trade 2023 12th-rounder Blake Dickerson to the Tigers to acquire the necessary funds. Cruz ultimately signed for $750,000 out of Mexico. Across 14 starts between the Arizona Complex League and Low-A Lake Elsinore in 2025, Cruz ran up a 7.58 ERA with 35 strikeouts and 17 walks in 38 innings. At the end of the season, Cruz had internal brace surgery on his elbow.
  
  Scouting Report: Cruz is a slightly undersized righthander who has a high-waisted frame with room to continue to fill out. He has an athletic delivery that features an abbreviated arm stroke, and he attacks hitters out of a three-quarters slot with present arm speed. Cruz’s fastball averaged nearly 94 mph and was up to 97, though he’ll need to refine its shape. While it’s a high-spin pitch, it has a dead-zone profile and is not a bat-misser. Cruz’s best offering is his low-to-mid-80s gyro slider. It flashes above-average potential, and the shape of it will vary. At times it takes on a sharp, two-plane look with depth and glove-side life, while at others it looks more like a true gyro slider with far more depth than lateral break. Cruz rounds out his arsenal with a mid-to-upper-80s changeup that profiles as a potentially above-average third pitch. Cruz throws it with conviction, flashing ample armside fade as an effective bat-misser.. His command is average and his ceiling is that of a midrotation starter.
  
  The Future: There’s a chance that Cruz’s elbow procedure leaves him on the shelf for the entire 2026 season. There’s no reason to rush the young righthander, and when he returns—either in late 2026 or in 2027—expect him to regain his footing in Lake Elsinore.
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: - | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 50
• 
  Ranked San Diego Padres #4 prospect in 2025
  BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme.
  
  Track Record: Cruz was the pitching headliner of the Padres’ 2024 international class. Needing more pool space to acquire him, San Diego traded 2023 12th-rounder Blake Dickerson to the Tigers to acquire the bonus pool money needed to push Cruz’s $750,000 deal over the finish line. Cruz made two one-inning starts in 2024 in the Arizona Complex League, where he did not allow a run and struck out a pair.
  
  Scouting Report: The 6-foot-1 Cruz has a high-waisted, athletic build and plenty of room to add physicality, which shouldn’t be too tall of a task given his youth. He has an athletic delivery with plenty of arm speed and features a fastball, slider and changeup. Cruz’s fastball was up to 93 mph prior to his signing, but in his pro debut it was clocked as high as 97 mph. In addition to his lively heater, Cruz spins a tight, low-to-mid-80s slider that has posted spin rates in the 2,400-2,500 rpm range, as well as a changeup which gets solid separation off his fastball and flashes plenty of fade to his arm side. On top of his intriguing three-pitch mix, Cruz has also shown above-average pitchability and is consistently around the strike zone. He can generate plenty of whiffs with all three of his pitches and has middle-of-the-rotation upside.
  
  The Future: While Cruz’s upside is exciting, there is no reason to rush him through the minor leagues. He will pitch the entire 2025 season as an 18-year-old and likely projects to begin the year in extended spring training and possibly the ACL. The Padres have shown they aren’t shy about sending 17- or 18-year-olds to full-season affiliates, so expect Cruz to reach Low-A Lake Elsinore at some point in 2025. His big league debut is still many years away and figures to not be until at least 2028.
  
  Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55
  
  Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 50 | Changeup: 55 | Control: 55.