Padres Sign 17-Year-Old Mexican Pitching Prospect
The San Diego Padres are no strangers to finding gems in the international pool. The past two years, they've found gems that should bolster their major league roster for years to come. This week, they added another one.
The team announced Wednesday it signed an international pitching prospect, 17-year-old Humberto Cruz from Monterrey, Mexico.
Cruz last played for the Diablos Rojos del México, the winningest team in Mexican Baseball League history. He debuted for the team at 16 years old.
The right-handed pitching prospect stands at 6-foot-2. Cruz has excellent size and frame, and his intangibles and projections make him one of the best pitching prospects in the 2024 international class rankings.
According to Francys Romero, the Friars used the trades of two minor league players to acquire the international bonus pool money they needed to pay Cruz's bonus. Clearly, he was highly coveted for San Diego, and they got their guy.
It may seem like a lot to give up for an unknown commodity, but the Padres have earned the benefit of the doubt. Their international scouting team landed Leodalis de Vries, the top-ranked player in the 2024 class, in addition to catcher Ethan Salas, a consensus top-100 prospect in baseball. That seems to be the case with the Padres and Cruz.
It may take a while for Cruz to mature into the prospect the Padres believe he can become. If he pans out, it'll be worth the wait.
