Russell
Cruz

2-26-17
6-foot, 200 pounds. Bats and throws right. Player hustles all over the field. Goes hard. At the plate stands tall and utilizes leg kick for timing. Hands stay back. Has bat speed. Bat is level through the zone with good extension through the ball. Gap to gap power. 94 mph exit velo off the tee. As a catcher works hard and has solid fundamentals. Beats the ball when framing. Quick release on throw downs. Was 2.00 flat down to 2nd with 74 mph arm velo. Showed the ability to also play OF, 1B, an 3B. Arm velo was 79 at each position. Could project as a corner if not a catcher. Ran a 4.6 home to first. 

8-13-16

A 6-foot-0, 190-pound right hand hitting 3B/C who ran a 7.20 60.  At the plate he starts with a wide set up and uses a high lift and place leg kick for timing.  Strong weight transfer and quick hands produced a 91 MPH exit velocity.  Bat stays in the zone with a slight uphill path.  Behind the plate, Cruz is a take charge player with soft hands and good framing.  Arm velocity was 79 MPH and pop-times were 2.11-2.15.  In the field he moves well and uses a quick release to deliver and accurate ball across the diamond.  Very versatile player. 

4-24-16
6-foot-0, 190-pound right hand hitting catcher/3B. Strong and athletic behind the plate, he moves well on pitches in the dirt. He showcased a 71 MPH arm and a 2.02 pop time off a coach. In the field he attacks the ball and gets rid of it quickly. He had a 75 MPH arm velocity with accuracy across the diamond. He is balanced at the plate with a slight load back on the pitch. A Short stride for timing and aggressive rotation during contact produced good power to the left center gap. Exit velocity was 90 MPH off the tee.  Ran a 7.3 60.
2-28-16

A 6-foot-0, 190-pound right hand hitting 3B/C who ran a 7.38 60.  Balanced at the plate with a load back on the pitch.  Short stride gets weight moving forward and hands come level through the zone.  Good extension at contact creates a 91 MPH exit velocity.  In the field he gets to balls quickly in the hole.  Has a long over the top arm motion and was accurate across the diamond with a 76 MPH ball.  Behind the plate he is quiet with soft hands while receiving.  He had pop-times of 2.00-2.02 with some accuracy to the bag.  

8-8-15
6-foot-0, 180-pounds. Cruz was probably the most improved player we saw since we did Underclass Invitational last January. He's strong, athletically built right handed hitting C/3B hits from a opened stance now with a bigger stride. Lower half worked well with future power potential. The front foot gets down early line drive swing through the baseball. Posted an improved 91 mph exit velocity which was up from 81 last January. Very vocal defensively. Can play both 3rd and C.  Shows a strong arm at both positions (76 from 3rd and 73 behind the plate.  Did a good job framing and did a good job sticking the low fastball. Cruz had a 2.10 pop-time up from 2.21 in January. Cruz ran a 7.35 which was the fastest time for catchers. Cruz is an improving player with potentially high upside.

1-25-18
5-foot-11, 185-pound strong, athletically built right handed hitting C/3B hits from a balanced setup, with early load of his hands. Lower half worked well with future power potential. The front foot gets down early allowing good drive through the baseball. Posted an 81mph exit velocity which was the second fastest among catchers. Defensively he moves well both behind the plate and at 3^rd base. He moves well laterally and has a plus arm from both positions. Did a good job framing and did a good job sticking the low fastball. Cruz gets the ball into the throwing window quickly and averaged a 2.21 pop-time. Cruz also was very vocal behind the plate when throwing down to bases. Ran a 4.62 home to first.