Fernando Cruz
34-Year-Old
2024 Stats
W-L
3-8
ERA
4.86
WHIP
1.34
K
109
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Cruz, who was drafted by the Royals as an infielder in 2007, transitioned to a full-time pitching role in 2011. He'd spend the next decade bouncing around between the minors, independent ranks and foreign leagues before getting his first big league promotion during the 2022 season at age 32. He broke camp with the Reds last season and threw one of the best splitters in baseball, with the 3rd-highest whiff percentage for that pitch type (56.7%) and 2nd-highest Statcast Run Value (11). Cruz finished 2 strikeouts shy of 100 across his 66 innings, and while his 4.91 ERA wasn't great, his 2.83 FIP suggests there is room for improvement in that category. His 2.07 ERA-minus-FIP was 2nd-highest among relief pitchers, while his 23.5% K-BB percentage ranked 16th. Those looking for strikeout upside in the late stages of drafts might consider clicking Cruz's name, but don't expect a ton of high leverage opportunities or save chances. Read Past Outlooks
Serving as opener Friday
Cruz is scheduled to serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Friday's game against the Mets.
ANALYSIS
He'll be making his third straight appearance as an opener after thriving on the previous two occasions Aug. 28 and 31. He covered five innings in those outings while striking out 11 and allowing one earned run on three hits and one walk. Cruz threw 42 pitches in each of those appearances, so he could be able to push up into the 50-to-55-pitch range Friday if the Reds elect to turn him loose. Jakob Junis and Brandon Williamson are both available on four days' rest and could be options to work in bulk relief once Cruz exits the contest.
He'll be making his third straight appearance as an opener after thriving on the previous two occasions Aug. 28 and 31. He covered five innings in those outings while striking out 11 and allowing one earned run on three hits and one walk. Cruz threw 42 pitches in each of those appearances, so he could be able to push up into the 50-to-55-pitch range Friday if the Reds elect to turn him loose. Jakob Junis and Brandon Williamson are both available on four days' rest and could be options to work in bulk relief once Cruz exits the contest.
Pitching Stats
Loading Pitching Stats...
2024
2023
2022
Minor League Game Log
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Loading Minor League Pitching Game Log...
Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
16
Last 10 Games
27
Last 5 Games
27
How many pitches does Fernando Cruz generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Fernando Cruz generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-21%
BAA vs RHP
2024
-31%
BAA vs RHP
BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022vs Left | .238 | 94 | 39 | 57 | 9 | |||
Since 2022vs Right | .187 | 134 | 33 | 58 | 7 | |||
2024vs Left | .264 | 41 | 18 | 28 | 6 | |||
2024vs Right | .181 | 68 | 17 | 26 | 3 | |||
2023vs Left | .231 | 43 | 18 | 25 | 3 | |||
2023vs Right | .196 | 55 | 10 | 27 | 3 | |||
2022vs Left | .154 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |||
2022vs Right | .179 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 1 | |||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
-29%
ERA on Road
2024
-24%
ERA on Road
ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022Home | 5.26 | 1.25 | 75.1 | 15.5 | 4.5 | ||||
Since 2022Away | 3.75 | 1.29 | 72.0 | 12.3 | 4.3 | ||||
2024Home | 5.45 | 1.32 | 36.1 | 16.6 | 4.5 | ||||
2024Away | 4.15 | 1.35 | 30.1 | 12.5 | 5.0 | ||||
2023Home | 5.63 | 1.28 | 32.0 | 15.2 | 4.8 | ||||
2023Away | 4.24 | 1.15 | 34.0 | 11.6 | 2.9 | ||||
2022Home | 2.57 | 0.71 | 7.0 | 11.6 | 3.9 | ||||
2022Away | 0.00 | 1.70 | 7.2 | 14.1 | 7.0 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Stat Review
How does Fernando Cruz compare to other relievers?
This section compares his stats with all relief pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 30 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 30 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
3.11K/9
14.7BB/9
4.7HR/9
1.2Fastball
94.7 mphERA
4.86WHIP
1.34BABIP
.363GB/FB
1.11Left On Base
69.4%Exit Velocity
80.7 mphBarrels/BBE
4.5%Spin Rate
1917 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
22.8%Swinging Strike
16.3%Advanced Pitching Stats
Loading Advanced Pitching Stats...
Defensive Stats
Loading MLB Defensive Stats...
Stats Vs Today's Lineup
Want more matchup stats?
Loading Matchup Stats...
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Subscribe Now
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Fernando Cruz See More
Michael King and the Padres take on the Giants tonight. Michael Rathburn shares his expert MLB picks and props for this contest and the rest of the MLB betting slate for Friday, September 6.
Zach Wheeler has strung together six straight quality starts and should be a top pitching consideration when constructing Friday FanDuel MLB DFS lineups.
Brad Johnson examines NL Bullpens with possible changes on the horizon, and in the case of the Mets, current closer Edwin Diaz can't seem to protect leads.
Dan Marcus looks at some under-the-radar pitching options who can help you win specific matchups, such as the Pirates' Luis Ortiz.
More Fantasy News
Receives another opener assignment
Cruz will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Brewers, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Opening Wednesday
Cruz will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Spoils quality start
Cruz (3-6) picked up Saturday's loss, allowing three runs on two hits and one walk over one-third of an inning against Detroit. He was also charged with a blown save.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Throws perfect eighth
Cruz struck out one over a scoreless inning and picked up a hold in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Yankees.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Rocked in loss
Cruz (1-2) took the loss against the Padres on Wednesday. He allowed four runs on three hits and a walk while striking out one over one-third of an inning.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.