As Bryan De La Cruz starts to ‘settle in,’ Marlins get a glimpse of what he brings to team
Bryan De La Cruz has had all of five games at the MLB level so far in his young career, but the Miami Marlins’ outfielder has already noticed a stark difference between the competition he’s facing now compared to what he faced in the minors.
“You’ve got a pitcher,” De La Cruz quipped, “that they’re paying $20 million to get you out.”
So far, in a small sample size, the rookie has held his own against those pitchers while getting steady playing time in his first stint in the majors.
De La Cruz, acquired from the Houston Astros on July 28 along with relief pitcher Austin Pruitt for Yimi Garcia, has shown a good approach at the plate during his first 19 plate appearances and been steady in right field while making a quality first impression on the Marlins’ coaching staff and front office.
“We’ve seen some decent at-bats,” Marlins general manager Kim Ng said. “He probably needs a little bit more time for us to fully evaluate. ... There are elements there, but he probably needs a little more time to get on good footing.”
Through Wednesday’s 5-3 loss to the New York Mets, De La Cruz had put the ball in play 15 of the 23 times he has been at the plate. His average exit velocity heading into Wednesday is 88.8 mph and he had a 30.8 percent hard-hit rate, defined as a ball put into play with an exit velocity of at least 95 mph.
The results have started to come with that. De La Cruz recorded his first career MLB hit on Sunday with a low line-drive single to left field against New York Yankees starter Jordan Montgomery.
On Tuesday, De La Cruz went 3 for 4 and drove in a pair of runs to help the Marlins beat the Mets 5-4.
On Wednesday, he singled and scored a run in the fifth inning.
He has also made a pair of quality plays in right field while holding his own at the position overall.
“It’s nice to see him get a chance to settle in,” bench coach and acting manager James Rowson said.
Rowson, who also oversees the Marlins’ offense, said he doesn’t necessarily need to see a certain number of plate appearances before he starts forming a real evaluation of a player. Rather, he watched to see how a player adapts as he gets additional reps on a consistent basis.
De La Cruz was a career .276 hitter in the minors and was hitting .324 with 12 home runs and 50 RBI in 66 games at the Triple A level before being traded to the Marlins.
“Right now,” Rowson said,” I’m just looking at him, watching him, letting him get comfortable, letting him play. He’s got a good track record. He may just be kind of getting up here with us and us getting the chance to see him, but we have the opportunity to look at video, look at past at-bats and what he’s done in his career. This guy’s got a really good swing. He can drive the ball to all fields.”
He has shown a glimpse of that so in his first handful of MLB starts and isn’t taking this opportunity for granted.
“I’m very, very happy for the opportunity the team has given me here at the Major League level,” De La Cruz said. “And with the results, I truly feel very comfortable.”
Game notables
▪ Javier Baez hit a go-ahead home run in the eighth inning off Anthony Bass.
▪ Sloppy and inconsistent defense played a key part in the Marlins’ loss, one that drops them to 46-62.
Jazz Chisholm Jr., back in the starting lineup after a one-day stint on the COVID-19 related injured list, committed two errors at shortstop. The second played a part in the Mets getting an insurance run in the eighth. With a runner on first base, J.D. Davis hit a ground ball to the left side. By the time Chisholm had the ball and was preparing to throw, Davis was already in position to get a leadoff single. Instead of holding onto the ball, Chisholm attempted to make a play and the throw sailed past first baseman Jesus Aguilar, allowing Michael Conforto to get to third base. Conforto scored on an Alex Jackson passed ball on the next plate appearance.
Chisholm has 19 errors on the season, one fewer than Bo Bichette and Fernando Tatis Jr. for the most in MLB.
▪ Zach Thompson pitched four innings gave up three runs, all in the second inning. He loaded the bases with no outs on a Dominic Smith double, Javier Baez single and Michael Conforto walk before trouble began to brew. Jonathan Villar drove the first run in on an RBI groundout. Tomas Nido scored Baez on a groundball to first base, with Baez beating Aguilar’s throw and Jackson’s tag at the plate. Conforto scored the final run when Thompson’s throw to second on a Carlos Carrasco bunt sailed into the outfield. Thompson then retired seven of the final 10 batters he faced.
▪ Aguilar hit his 19th home run of the season in the sixth inning.
Roster moves
In addition to Chisholm’s return, the Marlins activated right-handed pitcher Paul Campbell from the restricted list on Wednesday after he completed his 80-game suspension after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance.
Nick Neidert was optioned to Triple A Jacksonville and Deven Marrero was designated for assignment to make room for Chisholm and Campbell on the active roster.
This story was originally published August 4, 2021 at 6:43 PM.
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