Hello Zander Darby! Welcome to Professional Baseball

SF Giants Minor Lines, August 28, 2024

Yesterday, the Giants gave pitcher José Cruz his release. Cruz was a somewhat surprising 40-man addition two years ago, following a breakout performance in San Jose, where he allowed just 12 earned runs in 52 innings and struck out more than 40% of the batters he faced. Things were never quite so good again after that for the now 24-year-old Dominican. Though his true Bugs Bunny changeup always ensured that strikeouts were high, he just couldn’t overcome his tendency to spray the fastball around. His walk totals skyrocketed at Double-A Richmond, and, unlike Randy Rodriguez, who had a somewhat similar development story, he just couldn’t get the better of his wildness.

Following his one year on the 40-man in 2023, Cruz was non-tendered and re-signed to a minor league deal, and now he’s out of the organization for good. In just under one month, the Giants have said goodbye to two best friends, roommates, and catch partners in Cruz and Eric Silva. It’s the sad side of the game, but as always, we wish them good luck and success at the next stop. The alternate histories of Rodriguez and Cruz demonstrate the complications of adding Low-A pitchers with upside to the 40-man. The options clock starts ticking quickly and there are many adjustments still ahead for the Low-A reliever. Sometimes, they can stay ahead of the clock with their development and sometimes they can’t. Good luck, José. I hope you land somewhere that fits your needs.

HITTER of the NIGHT: Zander Darby (SJ), 2 for 4, 2 HR (2), 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K
PITCHER of the NIGHT: Tristan Beck (Sac), 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 1 HR

One last reminder before we head to the Lines, tomorrow there will be NO There R Giants post as I am off on assignment this weekend. Don’t adjust your set, the site really is dark for a day. I will have a Labor Day post, however.

Also, I wanted to get out the prompt for next week’s mailbag before things got too crazy for me today, so I sent that out early this morning. If you haven’t noticed it in your Inbox yet, you can click on the link below to send in your questions. Only two more of the weekly mailbags, so if you’ve been saving any questions up this summer, now’s the time to submit them!

Send in Your Questions for the Next Free For All Mailbag