This Nationals Prospect Is Drawing Comparisons to Fernando Tatis Jr.
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The Washington Nationals have plenty of talented youngsters in their farm system.
Per MLB Pipeline's rankings, they have five top 100 guys: shortstop Eli Willits (No. 10), right-handed pitcher Travis Sykora (No. 48), catcher Harry Ford (No. 61), right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana (No. 70) and infielder Gavin Fien (No. 92).
While that quintet has "future stars" written all over them, it's been under-the-radar prospect Ronny Cruz who has taken the minor league baseball world by storm to start this season. Ranked 25th in the Nationals' farm system, the 19-year-old already earned a promotion to High-A Wilmington after he lit up the Single-A level. And now, after he continues to dominate, he's earning a comparison to MLB superstar Fernando Tatis Jr.
Ronny Cruz Is Being Comped to Fernando Tatis Jr.
It's fair to say Geoff Pontes of Baseball America has been impressed by Cruz to start the season since he was the one who comped the youngster to the three-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner.
"I think you're looking at a player with elite barrel accuracy in terms of the angles and the power there," Pontes stated. "... I think it's very reminiscent of what a Fernando Tatis Jr. was like in the early days of his full-season career where some people were a little off it because there was some swing-and-miss. He was aggressive at the plate. But I think when you watch Cruz, there's a method to the madness."
It goes without saying, if Cruz can turn into the type of player that Tatis is at the major league level, then that is a home run for Washington. Cruz was almost an afterthought when he was acquired from the Chicago Cubs alongside Christian Franklin ahead of the trade deadline last year when the Nationals shipped out Michael Soroka. So to see him get comped to Tatis after just 65 professional games is exciting.
Ronny Cruz Has Continued His Red-Hot Form at High-A
Across 14 games at Single-A, Cruz slashed .333/.460/.627 with three home runs, four doubles, a triple, 14 RBIs, 15 strikeouts to nine walks and 15 stolen bases. Washington felt they had to challenge the 19-year-old more based on how he dominated that level, so they sent him up to Wilmington.
So far, Cruz has continued to be a force at the plate. His first at-bat in High-A was a home run. And through three games, he's gone 5-for-14 with two longballs, three RBIs and one walk to five K's. The power is real in the 19-year-old, and he looks like he could be a star at some point in his career.
Only time will tell if he reaches the ceiling of someone like Tatis. But it's clear that Cruz is going to be a huge riser in the updated prospect rankings, as he appears like he could be a franchise cornerstone for the Nationals if he keeps up this level of production.
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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