Jose De La Cruz

Organization Prospect Rankings

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  Ranked Seattle Mariners #21 prospect in 2007
  The Mariners traded righthander Marcos Carvajal to the Devil Rays for de la Cruz four months after acquiring Carvajal. In his first year in the system, de la Cruz was named Inland Empire's pitcher of the year and saved the final game of the California League playoffs. There's no deception involved with de la Cruz. He's a 6-foot-7, 245-pound hulk who tries to throw his heavy 91-95 mph sinker by hitters. His second pitch is a slider that can be a plus pitch at times and can flatten out at others. His delivery has some effort to it, but it works for him. De la Cruz managed to significantly improve his control last season, but his command still needs some work. He has a closer's mindset and has the stuff to pitch in the late innings. Still a couple of years away from the majors, he'll move up to Double-A in 2007.
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  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #21 prospect in 2006
  De la Cruz has intimidating mound presence. Standing 6-foot-7 and weighing in excess of 240 pounds, the righthander physically resembles Antonio Alfonseca, only larger, and is nicknamed "The Aircraft Carrier." He delivers his pitches with good power and improving body control, coming at hitters with arms and legs flying in different directions, making them all the more leery of digging in. De la Cruz fires a 91-95 mph fastball with nice movement and is developing a slider with good tilt and bite. He has made major strides with the slider but it still lacks consistency. Once that happens, he'll bring two dominating pitches out of the bullpen. In the meantime, de la Cruz' finesse is still catching up with his power. He needs to improve both his control and command, yet rarely do hitters get a good hack at his offerings. He keeps the ball in the park, allowing just three home runs in 130 innings as a pro. Though still a work in progress, he's taking the steps toward becoming a potential closer. He'll advanced to high Class A in 2006.
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  Ranked Tampa Bay Rays #27 prospect in 2005
  One glance at the imposing de la Cruz is all it takes before images of Armando Benitez and Jose Mesa emerge. A massive 6-foot-6, he fires his fastball at 90-94 mph and one day could reach triple digits. While he throws strikes with his heater, he has problems maintaining consistent mechanics and body control, partly because of his huge frame. As a result, he has made slow progress with his breaking ball. The positive side is that with his arms and legs appearing to fly in every direction during his delivery, de la Cruz makes it tough for hitters to pick up his pitches. He has allowed just one homer in 81 pro innings. He'll need plenty of time to round out his game but could develop into a closer if everything clicks. The next step for him will be low Class A this year.