| Jacob Cruz | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outfielder /Coach | |||||||||||||||
| Born: (1973-01-28)January 28, 1973 (age 52) Oxnard, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||
Batted: Left Threw: Left | |||||||||||||||
| Professional debut | |||||||||||||||
| MLB: July 18, 1996, for the San Francisco Giants | |||||||||||||||
| KBO: April 6, 2007, for the Hanwha Eagles | |||||||||||||||
| CPBL: July 28, 2009, for the La New Bears | |||||||||||||||
| Last appearance | |||||||||||||||
| MLB: October 2, 2005, for the Cincinnati Reds | |||||||||||||||
| KBO: May 20, 2008, for the Samsung Lions | |||||||||||||||
| CPBL: July 28, 2009, for the La New Bears | |||||||||||||||
| MLB statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .241 | ||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 19 | ||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 105 | ||||||||||||||
| KBO statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .310 | ||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 24 | ||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 106 | ||||||||||||||
| CPBL statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Batting average | .323 | ||||||||||||||
| Home runs | 6 | ||||||||||||||
| Runs batted in | 28 | ||||||||||||||
Stats atBaseball Reference  | |||||||||||||||
| Teams | |||||||||||||||
As player
As Coach | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Jacob Cruz (born January 28, 1973), is an American professionalbaseball formeroutfielder and currentcoach. He is an assistant hitting coach for theSan Francisco Giants ofMajor League Baseball (MLB) and previously played professionally inSouth Korea andMexico.
Cruz was drafted straight out of high school in1991 by theCalifornia Angels, but did not sign; instead, choosing to play baseball forArizona State University. Cruz was drafted in the 1st round (32nd overall) of the1994 Major League Baseball draft by theSan Francisco Giants, signing the next month.[1]
Cruz would make his Major League debut on July 18, 1996. Cruz spent most of 1996 and1997 in the Giants minor league system and after playing for the Giants Triple-A affiliate, theFresno Grizzlies, for most of the1998 season, was traded to theCleveland Indians on July 23, 1998, along withSteve Reed, forShawon Dunston,José Mesa, andAlvin Morman. Cruz would play one game for the Indians in1998 and would spend the rest of the year playing for theBuffalo Bisons, the Indians' Triple-A affiliate. On June 2,2001, the Indians traded Cruz to theColorado Rockies forJody Gerut andJosh Bard. Cruz would play 44 games for the Rockies and 20 for their Triple-A affiliate, theColorado Springs Sky Sox, before being released by the Rockies on November 30, 2001.
On December 21, 2001, Cruz signed with theDetroit Tigers. Cruz played 35 games for the Tigers and was released on October 3,2002. On December 27, 2002, Cruz signed with theCincinnati Reds. He would spend the next three years in the Reds organization, including appearing in a career-high 110 games in2005. Released by the Reds on April 14,2006, Cruz signed a minor league contract with theNew York Mets on May 30, 2006. Cruz played 55 games for the Mets Triple-A affiliate, theNorfolk Tides, the rest of the year and was granted free agency at the end of the season.
Before the start of the2007 season, Cruz signed a contract with theHanwha Eagles of theKorea Baseball Organization. Cruz had an excellent season with the Eagles, hitting .321 with 22home runs and 85RBI. Before the start of the2008 season, Cruz signed with theSamsung Lions. Cruz was cut by the Lions on May 23, 2008.
After his release from the Lions, Cruz signed to play for thePotros de Tijuana of theMexican Baseball League for the 2008 season. In 2009, he played for theDorados de Chihuahua.
On August 9, 2010, Cruz was signed by theSioux City Explorers[2] of theAmerican Association and batted .400 in 80 at-bats. He also hit 4 home runs and had 26 RBI.
On December 13, 2010, theArizona Diamondbacks hired Cruz to be the Hitting Coach of theYakima Bears, the Diamondbacks Short Season Class A team.[3] On November 22, 2011, Cruz was promoted to Hitting Coach of theVisalia Rawhide, the Diamondbacks Advanced Class A team.[4] Cruz was the hitting coach for theTennessee Smokies in 2017 and 2018. Cruz then served as thePittsburgh Pirates assistant hitting coach for the 2019 season. Cruz was hired as the assistant hitting coach for theMilwaukee Brewers prior to the 2020 season.[5] Cruz was permitted to speak to other teams following the conclusion of the Brewers' 2021 season.[6][7]
Cruz is of Mexican descent.[8]
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