azdad1978
Championship!!!!
By Dan Zeiger, Tribune
If the Diamondbacks wanted to make their starting left fielder feel older, then acquiring Jose Cruz Jr. was a perfect way to do it.
"I remember Luis Gonzalez from Houston when I was in high school and college," said Cruz on Monday, 24 hours after Arizona dealt pitcher Casey Fossum to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for him.
"You know, he pretty much took over from my dad in left field there."
No doubt, some clubhouse jokes will be made this spring concerning how Gonzalez, 37, has become closely tied to Jose Cruz Sr. and Jr. But as far as the D-Backs are concerned, humor is only a fringe benefit.
Having a starter in center field — and possibly the leadoff spot — taken care of going into spring training is the biggest benefit to the deal. Cruz, a switch-hitter who batted .242 with 21 home runs and 78 RBIs last year, allows the D-Backs to give talented-but-raw Luis Terrero time to season.
Manager Bob Melvin said just three spots in the order are set right now: Gonzalez third, third baseman Troy Glaus in the cleanup spot and right fielder Shawn Green fifth.
"He’s flexible," Melvin said. "Jose is a guy that can hit leadoff or second spot or sixth. Potentially, he could be in the first spot for us since we don’t really have a (bona fide) leadoff guy."
Regarding the possibility of leading off — he and second baseman Craig Counsell are the most likely options in the team’s starting lineup — Cruz said: "I don’t mind it. Whatever the manager wants me to do is fine."
In 110 career games hitting in the No. 1 spot, Cruz is batting .250 with 27 homers and 15 steals.
Melvin said he plans to experiment with a number of lineups when Cactus League play starts, including trying new shortstop Royce Clayton and first baseman Chad Tracy in the No. 2 hole.
Coming to Arizona means a return to center field for Cruz, whose last season at the position full-time, in 2001 with the Toronto Blue Jays, was the most productive (.274, 34 homers, 88 RBIs, 32 stolen bases) of his sevenyear major league career.
The 30-year-old won a Gold Glove as a right fielder for San Francisco in 2003. However, with the Devil Rays last year, he had 10 errors, most among American League right fielders.
"Center field is probably the easiest of the outfield positions to play," Cruz said. "It’s more true; you don’t get a lot of tricky balls hit to you. The toughest thing is the throw to home plate because of the pitcher’s mound, but that’s an easy adjustment."
Melvin said he believes the switch back to natural grass — the Devil Rays play on FieldTurf at indoor Tropicana Field — will help perhaps as much as the position change.
"Jose is the type of guy who can play center or right," Melvin said. "He won the Gold Glove playing at (SBC Park), which is probably one of the toughest right fields in baseball. But the big thing was that was on grass."
Cruz has a 2005 base salary of $4 million and can earn another $500,000 in incentives. He is a free agent after the season.
The D-Backs have acquired a lighter Cruz. He has lost 17 pounds since last spring, which he said has increased his bat speed and mobility.
"You want to bulk up and get strong so you’ll hit home runs," Cruz said. "But I couldn’t move as well. I just decided I would lift less and work more on my flexibility. . . .
"I could feel it working as the season went on. My bat got quicker, and I was a lot more quicker. It was the best thing for me."
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=36048
If the Diamondbacks wanted to make their starting left fielder feel older, then acquiring Jose Cruz Jr. was a perfect way to do it.
"I remember Luis Gonzalez from Houston when I was in high school and college," said Cruz on Monday, 24 hours after Arizona dealt pitcher Casey Fossum to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for him.
"You know, he pretty much took over from my dad in left field there."
No doubt, some clubhouse jokes will be made this spring concerning how Gonzalez, 37, has become closely tied to Jose Cruz Sr. and Jr. But as far as the D-Backs are concerned, humor is only a fringe benefit.
Having a starter in center field — and possibly the leadoff spot — taken care of going into spring training is the biggest benefit to the deal. Cruz, a switch-hitter who batted .242 with 21 home runs and 78 RBIs last year, allows the D-Backs to give talented-but-raw Luis Terrero time to season.
Manager Bob Melvin said just three spots in the order are set right now: Gonzalez third, third baseman Troy Glaus in the cleanup spot and right fielder Shawn Green fifth.
"He’s flexible," Melvin said. "Jose is a guy that can hit leadoff or second spot or sixth. Potentially, he could be in the first spot for us since we don’t really have a (bona fide) leadoff guy."
Regarding the possibility of leading off — he and second baseman Craig Counsell are the most likely options in the team’s starting lineup — Cruz said: "I don’t mind it. Whatever the manager wants me to do is fine."
In 110 career games hitting in the No. 1 spot, Cruz is batting .250 with 27 homers and 15 steals.
Melvin said he plans to experiment with a number of lineups when Cactus League play starts, including trying new shortstop Royce Clayton and first baseman Chad Tracy in the No. 2 hole.
Coming to Arizona means a return to center field for Cruz, whose last season at the position full-time, in 2001 with the Toronto Blue Jays, was the most productive (.274, 34 homers, 88 RBIs, 32 stolen bases) of his sevenyear major league career.
The 30-year-old won a Gold Glove as a right fielder for San Francisco in 2003. However, with the Devil Rays last year, he had 10 errors, most among American League right fielders.
"Center field is probably the easiest of the outfield positions to play," Cruz said. "It’s more true; you don’t get a lot of tricky balls hit to you. The toughest thing is the throw to home plate because of the pitcher’s mound, but that’s an easy adjustment."
Melvin said he believes the switch back to natural grass — the Devil Rays play on FieldTurf at indoor Tropicana Field — will help perhaps as much as the position change.
"Jose is the type of guy who can play center or right," Melvin said. "He won the Gold Glove playing at (SBC Park), which is probably one of the toughest right fields in baseball. But the big thing was that was on grass."
Cruz has a 2005 base salary of $4 million and can earn another $500,000 in incentives. He is a free agent after the season.
The D-Backs have acquired a lighter Cruz. He has lost 17 pounds since last spring, which he said has increased his bat speed and mobility.
"You want to bulk up and get strong so you’ll hit home runs," Cruz said. "But I couldn’t move as well. I just decided I would lift less and work more on my flexibility. . . .
"I could feel it working as the season went on. My bat got quicker, and I was a lot more quicker. It was the best thing for me."
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=36048
