Fernando Cruz

Fernando Cruz

34-Year-Old PitcherRP
Cincinnati Reds
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
RANKS
Rest of Season
From Preseason
#366
ADP
$Signed a one-year contract with the Reds in March of 2024.
Serving as opener Friday
PCincinnati Reds
September 6, 2024
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.
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Pitching Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2024 MLB Game Log
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2023 MLB Game Log
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2022 MLB Game Log
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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+
 
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+
 
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
 
 
 
1st
 
 
 
2nd
 
 
 
3rd
 
 
 
4th
 
 
 
5th
 
 
 
6th
 
 
 
7th
 
 
 
8th
 
 
 
9th
 
Extra
 
 
 
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
2023
 
 
-15%
BAA vs RHP
2022
 
 
-14%
BAA vs LHP
BAA Batters K BB H 2B 3B HR
Since 2022vs Left .238 281 94 39 57 12 3 9
Since 2022vs Right .187 350 134 33 58 18 1 7
2024vs Left .264 124 41 18 28 7 1 6
2024vs Right .181 164 68 17 26 7 0 3
2023vs Left .231 128 43 18 25 4 2 3
2023vs Right .196 151 55 10 27 10 1 3
2022vs Left .154 29 10 3 4 1 0 0
2022vs Right .179 35 11 6 5 1 0 1
More Splits View More Split Stats
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2022
 
 
-29%
ERA on Road
2024
 
 
-24%
ERA on Road
2023
 
 
-25%
ERA on Road
2022
 
 
-100%
ERA on Road
ERA WHIP IP W L SV K/9 BB/9 HR/9
Since 2022Home 5.26 1.25 75.1 2 6 0 15.5 4.5 1.3
Since 2022Away 3.75 1.29 72.0 2 5 0 12.3 4.3 0.6
2024Home 5.45 1.32 36.1 1 4 0 16.6 4.5 1.7
2024Away 4.15 1.35 30.1 2 4 0 12.5 5.0 0.6
2023Home 5.63 1.28 32.0 1 2 0 15.2 4.8 0.8
2023Away 4.24 1.15 34.0 0 0 0 11.6 2.9 0.8
2022Home 2.57 0.71 7.0 0 0 0 11.6 3.9 1.3
2022Away 0.00 1.70 7.2 0 1 0 14.1 7.0 0.0
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.
  • K/BB
    Strikeout to walk ratio.
  • K/9
    Average strikeouts per nine innings.
  • BB/9
    Average walks per nine innings.
  • HR/9
    Average home runs allowed per nine innings.
  • Fastball
    Average fastball velocity.
  • ERA
    Earned run average. The average earned runs allowed per nine innings.
  • WHIP
    Walks plus hits per inning pitched.
  • BABIP
    Batting average on balls in play. Measures how many balls in play against a pitcher go for hits.
  • GB/FB
    Groundball to flyball ratio. The higher the number, the more likely a pitcher is to induce groundballs.
  • Left On Base
    The percentage of base runners that a pitcher strands on base over the course of a season.
  • Exit Velocity
    The speed of the baseball as it comes off the bat, immediately after a batter makes contact.
  • Barrels/BBE
    The percentage of batted ball events resulting in a Barrel. A Barrel is a batted ball with similar exit velocity and launch angle to past ones that led to a minimum .500 batting average and 1.500 slugging percentage.
  • Spin Rate
    Spin Rate is the rate of spin on a baseball after it is released. It is measured in revolutions per minute (rpm).
  • Balls Hit 95+ MPH
    The percentage of batted balls hit that met or exceeded the 95 MPH threshold.
  • Swinging Strike
    The percentage of pitches that result in a swing and a miss.
K/BB
3.11
 
K/9
14.7
 
BB/9
4.7
 
HR/9
1.2
 
Fastball
94.7 mph
 
ERA
4.86
 
WHIP
1.34
 
BABIP
.363
 
GB/FB
1.11
 
Left On Base
69.4%
 
Exit Velocity
80.7 mph
 
Barrels/BBE
4.5%
 
Spin Rate
1917 rpm
 
Balls Hit 95+ MPH
22.8%
 
Swinging Strike
16.3%
 
Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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More Fantasy News
Receives another opener assignment
PCincinnati Reds
August 31, 2024
Cruz will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Brewers, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
ANALYSIS
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Opening Wednesday
PCincinnati Reds
August 27, 2024
Cruz will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
ANALYSIS
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Spoils quality start
PCincinnati Reds
July 7, 2024
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
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Throws perfect eighth
PCincinnati Reds
July 3, 2024
Cruz struck out one over a scoreless inning and picked up a hold in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Yankees.
ANALYSIS
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Rocked in loss
PCincinnati Reds
May 2, 2024
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
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