Todd Cruz

Todd Cruz

Todd Cruz in 2008
Infielder
Born: (1955-11-23)November 23, 1955
Highland Park, Michigan
Died: September 2, 2008(2008-09-02) (aged 52)
Bullhead City, Arizona
Batted: Right Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 4, 1978, for the Philadelphia Phillies
Last MLB appearance
September 30, 1984, for the Baltimore Orioles
MLB statistics
Batting average .220
Home runs 34
Runs batted in 154
Teams
Career highlights and awards

Todd Ruben Cruz (November 23, 1955 – September 2, 2008) was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player who spent all or part of six seasons in the majors with the Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Royals, California Angels, Chicago White Sox, Seattle Mariners and Baltimore Orioles, from 1978 to 1984. He was primarily an infielder.

Bounced around the majors

He was born in Highland Park, Michigan in Metro Detroit and was raised in Mexicantown in Detroit. He attended Western High School in Detroit.[1] He was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies out of Western High School in the second round (26th overall) of the MLB amateur entry draft in June, 1973, immediately signing a contract later that month. He finally made his major league debut five years later, playing only three September games with the Phillies . With Larry Bowa established as the everyday shortstop, Cruz was traded to the Royals for Doug Bird on April 3, 1979, three days before the start of a new season.

The Royals, with a glut of outfielders, a need for a starting first baseman and having decided on U.L. Washington as its regular shortstop, dealt Cruz, along with Al Cowens and right-handed pitcher Craig Eaton, to the Angels for Willie Aikens and Rance Mulliniks on December 6, 1979. A midseason swap for right-handed pitcher Randy Scarbery on June 12, 1980 sent Cruz to the White Sox, where he became the starting shortstop. Unfortunately, a back injury sidelined him for the entire 1981 season.[2]

The White Sox's search for a reliable batter capable of hitting for average resulted in him being shipped along with Jim Essian and Rod Allen to the Mariners for Tom Paciorek on December 11, 1981. The 1982 campaign was Cruz's most productive offensively as he established career highs with 57 runs batted in (RBI), 44 runs scored, 113 hits and 16 home runs. He was supplanted as the regular shortstop by rookie Spike Owen during the following year.

Success with the Orioles

In his first game after the Orioles purchased his contract on June 30, 1983, he drove in six runs with a three-run homer and a bases-loaded double, leading the Birds to a victory in the city where he grew up. His biggest contribution was on defense. Manager Joe Altobelli explained Cruz's importance to the ballclub:

“ The biggest move we made was when we got Todd Cruz from Seattle. General manager Hank Peters made a great move there. Leo Hernández, he was a little late in getting the ball to second base, and his range was a little shallow. Todd Cruz was playing shortstop for Seattle when we got him. We moved him over to third base. He had real good range and got rid of the ball real quick. He solidified our infield for the second half. ”

Shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr. praised him even further:

“ In the first part of the year, we were going back and forth at third base. It was an issue for us. But when Todd Cruz came over and was put at third base, he went from a shortstop with real good range to a third baseman with great range. Defensively, with the type of pitching staff we had, he was very instrumental in taking hits away from the hole and turning double plays. And offensively, he contributed a lot in certain games. He allowed me to play further up the middle. I didn't have to shade toward the hole a little bit. As a matter of fact, it became the exact opposite. If there was a pull hitter up, I felt that with his range to the left, he could cover so much ground there, so I only needed to cover to that ground, and then I could position myself further up the middle. I think both of us were able to cover more of the left side of the infield because he had some great range. ”

Cruz, along with teammates at the bottom of the batting order Rick Dempsey and Rich Dauer, were famously nicknamed "The Three Stooges." Cruz was "Curly" while Dempsey and Dauer were "Moe" and "Larry" respectively.[3] After winning the American League Pennant three games to one over a former team of Cruz's, the White Sox, the Orioles captured the 1983 World Series Championship in five games over his original ballclub, the Phillies.

His MLB career came to an end on March 29, 1985 when he was released by the Orioles in spring training. Orioles teammate Gary Roenicke said of Cruz's two seasons in Baltimore, "Even though he'd played for many other teams, he always thought of himself as an Oriole. He had an outgoing personality ... and he kept everybody loose."[4]

Death

Cruz died on September 2, 2008 at age 52 while swimming in the pool at the apartment complex where he lived in Bullhead City, Arizona. The efforts of bystanders and responding paramedics to revive the former major league ballplayer were unsuccessful. The cause of death was heart attack.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Kantowski, Ron. "Pro ballplayer's story ends humbly in desert town." Associated Press at San Diego Union-Tribune. September 27, 2008. Retrieved on January 15, 2013.
  2. ↑ Neft, David S., Cohen, Richard M. & Neft, Michael L. The Sports Encyclopedia: Baseball. 20th edition. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2000.
  3. ↑ Fimrite, Ron. "He was Moe Than Philly Could Handle," Sports Illustrated, October 24, 1983.
  4. ↑ "Cruz, of Orioles' 1983 championship team, dies in swimming accident". ESPN.com. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  5. ↑ Klingaman, Mike. "Ex-Orioles infielder Todd Cruz dead at 52," The Baltimore Sun, Friday, September 5, 2008.

Bibliography

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