Nationals Promote Rising Star Prospect After Sizzling Start to Season
In this story:
One of the goals the Washington Nationals new front office has this year is to evaluate the talent they have throughout their organization.
When Paul Toboni was hired to be the president of baseball operations, he brought in tons of executives who specialize in development. The plan of this regime is to build a farm system that is full of future stars. They began that process this offseason when they acquired right-handed pitcher Luis Perales and catcher Harry Ford in separate deals before they landed five top 30 prospects from the Texas Rangers in exchange for MacKenzie Gore.
There's no doubt those moves boosted this pipeline. However, there is a player who was acquired ahead of the trade deadline last year who has opened some eyes with his performance this season.
Nationals Promote Ronny Cruz to High-A Wilmington
Per an announcement from the team, Ronny Cruz, the 25th-ranked prospect in this pipeline, has been promoted from Single-A Fredericksburg to High-A Wilmington after his incredible performance through 14 games this season.
Cruz, who was brought into the organization as an under-the-radar part of the Michael Soroka return package from the Chicago Cubs last year, has done nothing but impress since he's arrived in the Nationals' farm system.
Despite not appearing in a single minor league game for the franchise last season following the trade, he earned a non-roster invite to big league spring training camp this year. Cruz turned heads during his limited opportunities when he went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs across four contests. That created some excitement about what he might do in the minors this season, and he has not disappointed.
Ronny Cruz Is Firmly a Rising Star in This Pipeline
Across 14 games with Single-A Fredericksburg, the 19-year-old slashed .333/.460/.627 with three home runs, four doubles, a triple, 14 RBIs and 15 strikeouts to nine walks with 15 stolen bases. Based on his performance, it's clear he needs a step up in competition at the plate.
Cruz is going to be one of the biggest risers in Washington's pipeline this season when it's all said and done. Despite having success with a .270/.314/.431 slash line, two home runs, 10 doubles, six triples and 21 RBIs across 48 games with the Cubs' rookie affiliate last year, the 2024 third-round pick was still relatively unknown, which made it hard to project his ceiling as a low-profile prospect.
But following his performance in spring training with the Nationals and how he dominated the Single-A level, Cruz looks like a clear bright spot in this farm system. He's now someone to keep an eye on for the rest of the season following this early promotion, as he is a clear rising star.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai