 01/14/2004 1:28 PM ET
Cruz adds playing time this winter
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By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com |
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| Enrique Cruz had 71 at-bats with Milwaukee in 2003. (AP Photo)
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MILWAUKEE -- Enrique Cruz went home and escaped the bench, a combination that allowed him to put a happy ending on a season that was best described as a learning experience.
Cruz, a native of Santo Domingo, Puerto Rico who turned 22 on Nov. 21, batted .253 with two home runs and 10 RBIs for Ponce in the Puerto Rican Winter League. He still saw action partially as a bench player (he got 99 at-bats in 41 games) and his 35 strikeouts are cause for concern, but it was still better than his tenure with the Brewers.
With the end of play in Puerto Rico on Jan. 7, the Winter League regular seasons are over. The Mexican and Venezuelan leagues wrapped up Dec. 30.
One of two Brewers picks in the 2002 Rule 5 Draft, the Brewers were forced to keep Cruz on the 25-man roster and expected to find him about 150 at-bats in 2003. But it became clear in Spring Training that Cruz, who never played above Single-A in the Mets system, was in over his head with Milwaukee. He finished the year with six hits and 30 strikeouts in 71 at-bats, good for a .085 batting average, and was 2-for-34 as a pinch-hitter.
But the team still sees Cruz as prospect material, evidenced by the unprecedented, two-year contract they awarded him in June. Cruz will earn $125,000 next season at Triple-A Indianapolis.
Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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