Todd Cruz
Encyclopedia
Todd Ruben Cruz was an American
Major League Baseball (MLB)
player who spent all or part of six seasons in the majors with the Philadelphia Phillies
, Kansas City Royals
, California Angels
, Chicago White Sox
, Seattle Mariners
and Baltimore Orioles
, from 1978 to 1984. He was primarily an infielder
.
, he was selected by the Phillies out of Detroit's Western High School
in the second round (26th overall) of the MLB amateur entry draft in June, 1973, immediately signing a contract
later that month. He finally made his major league debut five years later, playing only three September games with the Phillies . With Larry Bowa
established as the everyday shortstop
, Cruz was traded to the Royals for Doug Bird
on April 3, 1979, three days before the start of a new season.
The Royals, with a glut of outfielder
s, a need for a starting first baseman
and having decided on U.L. Washington as its regular shortstop, dealt Cruz, along with Al Cowens
and right-handed pitcher
Craig Eaton, to the Angels for Willie Aikens
and Rance Mulliniks
on December 6, 1979. A midseason swap for right-handed pitcher Randy Scarbery on June 12, 1980 sent Cruz to the White Sox, where he became the starting shortstop. Unfortunately, a back injury sidelined him for the entire 1981 season.
The White Sox's search for a reliable batter capable of hitting for average
resulted in him being shipped along with Jim Essian
and Rod Allen
to the Mariners for Tom Paciorek
on December 11, 1981. The campaign was Cruz's most productive offensively as he established career highs with 57 runs batted in (RBI)
, 44 runs
scored, 113 hits
and 16 home run
s. He was supplanted as the regular shortstop by rookie
Spike Owen
during the following year.
, leading the Birds to a victory in the city where he grew up. His biggest contribution was on defense. Manager
Joe Altobelli
explained Cruz's importance to the ballclub:
Shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr.
praised him even further:
Cruz, along with fellow teammates at the bottom of the batting order
Rick Dempsey
and Rich Dauer
, were famously nickname
d "The Three Stooges." Cruz was "Curly
" while Dempsey and Dauer were "Moe
" and "Larry
" respectively. After winning the American League Pennant
three games to one over a former team of Cruz's, the White Sox, the Orioles captured the 1983 World Series
Championship in five games over his original ballclub, the Phillies.
His MLB career came to an end on March 29, 1985 when he was released by the Orioles in spring training
. Orioles teammate Gary Roenicke
said of Cruz's two seasons in Baltimore, "Even though he'd played for many other teams, he always thought of himself as an Oriole. He had an outgoing personality ... and he kept everybody loose."
at the apartment complex where he lived in Bullhead City, Arizona
. The efforts of bystanders and responding paramedic
s to revive the former major league ballplayer were unsuccessful. The cause of death is pending results of the coroner's office.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Major League Baseball (MLB)
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player who spent all or part of six seasons in the majors with the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
, Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Royals
The Kansas City Royals are a Major League Baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From 1973 to the present, the Royals have played in Kauffman Stadium...
, California Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
, Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
, Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
and Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles are a professional baseball team based in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States. They are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League. One of the American League's eight charter franchises in 1901, it spent its first year as a major league...
, from 1978 to 1984. He was primarily an infielder
Infielder
An infielder is a baseball player stationed at one of four defensive "infield" positions on the baseball field.-Standard arrangement of positions:In a game of baseball, two teams of nine players take turns playing offensive and defensive roles...
.
Bounced around the majors
Born in Highland Park, MichiganHighland Park, Michigan
- Geography :According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there were 16,746 people, 6,199 households, and 3,521 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,622.9 per square mile . There were 7,249...
, he was selected by the Phillies out of Detroit's Western High School
Western International High School
Western International High School is a secondary educational facility, located across from Clark Park, within southwest Detroit's Mexicantown. Western is operated by the Detroit Public Schools system....
in the second round (26th overall) of the MLB amateur entry draft in June, 1973, immediately signing a contract
Contract
A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...
later that month. He finally made his major league debut five years later, playing only three September games with the Phillies . With Larry Bowa
Larry Bowa
Lawrence Robert Bowa is a former middle infielder, playing mainly as a shortstop, and manager in Major League Baseball.-Early life:...
established as the everyday shortstop
Shortstop
Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball fielding position between second and third base. Shortstop is often regarded as the most dynamic defensive position in baseball, because there are more right-handed hitters in baseball than left-handed hitters, and most hitters have a tendency to pull the...
, Cruz was traded to the Royals for Doug Bird
Doug Bird
James Douglas Bird was a Major League Baseball pitcher from to . Bird was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 3rd round of the 1969 amateur draft's secondary phase....
on April 3, 1979, three days before the start of a new season.
The Royals, with a glut of outfielder
Outfielder
Outfielder is a generic term applied to each of the people playing in the three defensive positions in baseball farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder...
s, a need for a starting first baseman
First baseman
First base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
and having decided on U.L. Washington as its regular shortstop, dealt Cruz, along with Al Cowens
Al Cowens
Alfred Edward Cowens, Jr. was a right fielder in Major League Baseball. From through , Cowens played for the Kansas City Royals , California Angels , Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners . He batted and threw right-handed.A native of Los Angeles, California, Cowens was a product of the Kansas...
and right-handed pitcher
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
Craig Eaton, to the Angels for Willie Aikens
Willie Aikens
Willie Mays Aikens is a former Major League Baseball first baseman. He had established himself as one of the top sluggers in the game before drugs derailed his career. In , Aikens was sentenced to twenty years in prison on four counts of crack cocaine distribution and one count of use of a firearm...
and Rance Mulliniks
Rance Mulliniks
Steven Rance Mulliniks is a former Major League Baseball player.Originally drafted as a shortstop, Mulliniks made his major league debut in for the California Angels, batting .269 in 78 games...
on December 6, 1979. A midseason swap for right-handed pitcher Randy Scarbery on June 12, 1980 sent Cruz to the White Sox, where he became the starting shortstop. Unfortunately, a back injury sidelined him for the entire 1981 season.
The White Sox's search for a reliable batter capable of hitting for average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
resulted in him being shipped along with Jim Essian
Jim Essian
James Sarkis Essian, Jr. is an American former catcher and occasional infielder for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and Cleveland Indians. He was signed by the Phillies at age 18, but he only amassed 24 at-bats over three seasons...
and Rod Allen
Rod Allen
Roderick Bernet "Rod" Allen is a baseball analyst, currently for the Detroit Tigers on Fox Sports Detroit. He also analyzes for other games on Fox Saturday Baseball when the Tigers don't play on Fox Sports Detroit...
to the Mariners for Tom Paciorek
Tom Paciorek
Thomas Marian Paciorek is a former Major League outfielder and first baseman for 18 seasons between 1970 and 1987...
on December 11, 1981. The campaign was Cruz's most productive offensively as he established career highs with 57 runs batted in (RBI)
Run batted in
Runs batted in or RBIs is a statistic used in baseball and softball to credit a batter when the outcome of his at-bat results in a run being scored, except in certain situations such as when an error is made on the play. The first team to track RBI was the Buffalo Bisons.Common nicknames for an RBI...
, 44 runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...
scored, 113 hits
Hit (baseball)
In baseball statistics, a hit , also called a base hit, is credited to a batter when the batter safely reaches first base after hitting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielder's choice....
and 16 home run
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...
s. He was supplanted as the regular shortstop by rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
Spike Owen
Spike Owen
Spike Dee Owen is a former shortstop in Major League Baseball who played for the Seattle Mariners , Boston Red Sox , Montreal Expos , New York Yankees and California Angels...
during the following year.
Success with the Orioles
In his first game after the Orioles purchased his contract on June 30, 1983, he drove in six runs with a three-run homer and a bases-loaded doubleDouble (baseball)
In baseball, a double is the act of a batter striking the pitched ball and safely reaching second base without being called out by the umpire, without the benefit of a fielder's misplay or another runner being put out on a fielder's choice....
, leading the Birds to a victory in the city where he grew up. His biggest contribution was on defense. Manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
Joe Altobelli
Joe Altobelli
Joseph Salvatore Altobelli is an American former player, manager and coach in Major League Baseball. In , he succeeded Hall of Famer Earl Weaver as manager of the Baltimore Orioles and led the team to their sixth American League pennant and their third World Series championship.- Personal life...
explained Cruz's importance to the ballclub:
Shortstop Cal Ripken, Jr.
Cal Ripken, Jr.
Calvin Edwin "Cal" Ripken, Jr. , nicknamed "Iron Man", is a former Major League Baseball shortstop and third baseman. He played his entire 21-year baseball career for the Baltimore Orioles ....
praised him even further:
Cruz, along with fellow teammates at the bottom of the batting order
Batting order (baseball)
The batting order, or batting lineup, in baseball is the sequence in which the nine members of the offense take their turns in batting against the pitcher. The batting order is the main component of a team's offensive strategy. The batting order is set by the manager before the game begins...
Rick Dempsey
Rick Dempsey
John Rikard Dempsey is an American former professional baseball player. He played for 24 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball from to , most notably for the Baltimore Orioles...
and Rich Dauer
Rich Dauer
Richard Fremont Dauer , is a former professional baseball player who played with the Baltimore Orioles primarily as an infielder from 1976-85. He played in two World Series with the Orioles....
, were famously nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
d "The Three Stooges." Cruz was "Curly
Curly Howard
Jerome Lester "Jerry" Horwitz , better known by his stage name Curly Howard, was an American comedian and vaudevillian. He is best known as a member of the American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges, along with his older brothers Moe Howard and Shemp Howard, and actor Larry Fine...
" while Dempsey and Dauer were "Moe
Moe Howard
Moses Harry Horwitz , known professionally as Moe Howard, was an American actor and comedian best known as the leader of The Three Stooges, the farce comedy team who starred in motion pictures and television for four decades...
" and "Larry
Larry Fine
Louis Feinberg , known professionally as Larry Fine, was an American comedian and actor, who is best known as a member of the comedy act The Three Stooges.-Early life:...
" respectively. After winning the American League Pennant
1983 American League Championship Series
-Game 1:Wednesday, October 5, 1983 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, MarylandPlaying in their first postseason game since the 1959 World Series, the White Sox jumped out to a 1–0 series lead behind a complete-game victory by Hoyt, the American League Cy Young Award winner...
three games to one over a former team of Cruz's, the White Sox, the Orioles captured the 1983 World Series
1983 World Series
-Game 1:Tuesday, October 11, 1983 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, MarylandJohn Denver, whose Thank God I'm a Country Boy was played at the seventh-inning stretch of each Orioles home game, sang the National Anthem prior to this game....
Championship in five games over his original ballclub, the Phillies.
His MLB career came to an end on March 29, 1985 when he was released by the Orioles in spring training
Spring training
In Major League Baseball, spring training is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives existing team players practice time prior to competitive play...
. Orioles teammate Gary Roenicke
Gary Roenicke
Gary Steven Roenicke is a former Major League Baseball outfielder for the Montreal Expos , Baltimore Orioles , New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves .-Early career:...
said of Cruz's two seasons in Baltimore, "Even though he'd played for many other teams, he always thought of himself as an Oriole. He had an outgoing personality ... and he kept everybody loose."
Death
Cruz died on September 2, 2008 at age 52 while swimming in the poolSwimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
at the apartment complex where he lived in Bullhead City, Arizona
Bullhead City, Arizona
Bullhead City is a city located on the Colorado River in Mohave County, Arizona, USA, roughly south of Las Vegas, Nevada, and directly across the Colorado River from Laughlin, Nevada, whose casinos and ancillary services supply much of the employment for Bullhead City...
. The efforts of bystanders and responding paramedic
Paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...
s to revive the former major league ballplayer were unsuccessful. The cause of death is pending results of the coroner's office.