With elite glove, can Cruz develop bat to climb Nats system?

PROSPECT REVIEW: ARMANDO CRUZ

Age on opening day 2024: 20

How acquired: Signed as international free agent, January 2021

Ranking: No. 26 per MLB Pipeline, No. 18 per Baseball America

MLB ETA: 2025
* Projected by MLB Pipeline

Signing bonus: $3.9 million (tying then Nationals record for international prospect)

2023 levels: Single-A Fredericksburg

2023 stats: 90 G, 372 PA, 331 AB, 44 R, 63 H, 9 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 33 RBIs, 7 SB, 7 CS, 31 BB, 67 SO, .190 AVG, .266 OBP, .251 SLG, .517 OPS

2023 analysis: It was a tough year for the young Cruz, his first full season playing stateside since signing with the Nationals as a 16-year-old out of the Dominican Republic in 2021.

When the shortstop first signed, MLB Pipeline ranked him as the No. 5 prospect of his international class and said he “might be the best defender at any position in this year’s class.” But he struggled offensively in the Dominican Summer League, hitting .232 with a .597 OPS in 49 games. Still, thanks to his defensive prowess, he finished the year ranked as the Nats’ No. 7 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.

Cruz improved last year, hitting .275 with a .682 OPS, 12 extra-base hits and 20 RBIs in 52 Rookie-level Florida Complex League games and earning his first promotion to Single-A. He only played three games with the FredNats before the 2022 season ended, but went 4-for-15 (.267) with three runs, a double, two RBIs and two walks to two strikeouts.

But then the 19-year-old struggled again in his first full Single-A season.

In 90 games, Cruz slashed .190/.266/.251 with a .517 OPS, nine doubles, one triple, three homers and 33 RBIs. He was caught stealing as often as he safely stole bases, and struck out more than twice the number of times he walked.

Defensively, he played mostly shortstop (84 games) while making six appearances at second base. He had a .955 fielding percentage with 15 errors in 728 innings at short and a .931 fielding percentage with two errors in 49 ⅓ innings at second.

2024 outlook: When the Nationals inked Cruz two years ago, he tied a then-club record for a signing bonus handed out to an international prospect as one of the top players of that class.

His defense was his strongest asset and he has proven it’s still elite in his short time in the Nats system. Mostly playing shortstop, the 5-foot-10 infielder has also shown he can play a strong second base, making him an asset up the middle of the field.

Per MLB Pipeline on a 20-80 scale, his arm and fielding are rated as 60, and he has a 55 run tool. He has the footwork, hands and throwing arm that make him a highly ranked prospect. Though his speed is above average, he does need to improve his caught-stealing ratio.

Hitting has been Cruz’s biggest issue to start his young professional career. His quick hands help him make a lot of contact, and he recorded an 18 percent strikeout rate this year. But with that contact comes very little power.

He recorded 63 hits this season with Fredericksburg. Only 13 of them went for extra bases (20.6 percent). He has never projected to hit for a lot of power, but with his bat-to-ball skills and speed on the basepaths, he should be hitting doubles and triples more frequently. Or at least turning singles into “doubles” by stealing more bases.

Cruz is still very young and raw, having only played 193 games over three seasons in the lower levels of the minor leagues to start his professional career. His glove will always be his strongest suit. But without a bat to back it up, how far can it take him up the Nats system?