Fernando Cruz
33-Year-Old
2023 Stats
W-L
1-2
ERA
4.91
WHIP
1.21
K
98
SV
0
2024 Projections
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Cruz, who was drafted by the Royals as an infielder in 2007, transitioned to a full-time pitching role in 2011. He'd spend the next decade bouncing around between the minors, independent ranks and foreign leagues before getting his first big league promotion during the 2022 season at age 32. He broke camp with the Reds last season and threw one of the best splitters in baseball, with the 3rd-highest whiff percentage for that pitch type (56.7%) and 2nd-highest Statcast Run Value (11). Cruz finished 2 strikeouts shy of 100 across his 66 innings, and while his 4.91 ERA wasn't great, his 2.83 FIP suggests there is room for improvement in that category. His 2.07 ERA-minus-FIP was 2nd-highest among relief pitchers, while his 23.5% K-BB percentage ranked 16th. Those looking for strikeout upside in the late stages of drafts might consider clicking Cruz's name, but don't expect a ton of high leverage opportunities or save chances. Read Past Outlooks
RANKS
#600
ADP
Preserving bullpen role
Cruz walked one and struck out four over two hitless and scoreless innings in Thursday's spring game against the Rangers.
ANALYSIS
The 34-year-old Cruz spent his first full season in the majors in 2023 and could maintain a largely low-leverage role for the Reds in 2024. The right-hander's advanced metrics from last season -- 2.83 FIP, 34.5 whiff percentage, 35.1 strikeout percentage -- suggest a better result than the 4.91 ERA he posted. Cruz has options remaining, which could be a factor when manager David Bell determines the lefty-righty mix needed in the bullpen to start the season.
The 34-year-old Cruz spent his first full season in the majors in 2023 and could maintain a largely low-leverage role for the Reds in 2024. The right-hander's advanced metrics from last season -- 2.83 FIP, 34.5 whiff percentage, 35.1 strikeout percentage -- suggest a better result than the 4.91 ERA he posted. Cruz has options remaining, which could be a factor when manager David Bell determines the lefty-righty mix needed in the bullpen to start the season.
Pitching Stats
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2023
2022
2023 MLB Game Log
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Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
19
Last 10 Games
19
Last 5 Games
22
How many pitches does Fernando Cruz generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Fernando Cruz generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2021
-11%
BAA vs RHP
2023
-15%
BAA vs RHP
BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2021vs Left | .216 | 53 | 21 | 29 | 3 | |||
Since 2021vs Right | .193 | 66 | 16 | 32 | 4 | |||
2023vs Left | .231 | 43 | 18 | 25 | 3 | |||
2023vs Right | .196 | 55 | 10 | 27 | 3 | |||
2022vs Left | .154 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |||
2022vs Right | .179 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 1 | |||
2021vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
2021vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2021
-32%
ERA on Road
2023
-25%
ERA on Road
ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2021Home | 5.08 | 1.18 | 39.0 | 14.5 | 4.6 | ||||
Since 2021Away | 3.46 | 1.25 | 41.2 | 12.1 | 3.7 | ||||
2023Home | 5.63 | 1.28 | 32.0 | 15.2 | 4.8 | ||||
2023Away | 4.24 | 1.15 | 34.0 | 11.6 | 2.9 | ||||
2022Home | 2.57 | 0.71 | 7.0 | 11.6 | 3.9 | ||||
2022Away | 0.00 | 1.70 | 7.2 | 14.1 | 7.0 | ||||
2021Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2021Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Stat Review
How does Fernando Cruz compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
3.50K/9
13.4BB/9
3.8HR/9
0.8Fastball
94.4 mphERA
4.91WHIP
1.21BABIP
.343GB/FB
0.73Left On Base
57.3%Exit Velocity
82.5 mphBarrels/BBE
6.0%Spin Rate
1934 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
24.5%Swinging Strike
16.7%Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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More Fantasy News
Working as opener Tuesday
Cruz will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Tuesday's game against the Twins, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Wild in return
Cruz allowed two runs on one hit and one walk while striking out two over two-thirds of an inning in Friday's 9-4 loss to the Cardinals.
ANALYSIS
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Back from COVID-19 IL
Cruz was activated from the COVID-19 injured list Friday.
ANALYSIS
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Lands on COVID-19 IL
The Reds placed Cruz on the COVID-19 injured list Friday, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
ANALYSIS
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Set to open Saturday's game
Cruz will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Diamdonbacks, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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