Jacob Cruz
Jacob Cruz
- Bats Left, Throws Left
- Height 6' 0", Weight 175 lb.
- School Arizona State University
- High School Channel Islands High School
- Debut July 18, 1996
- Final Game October 2, 2005
- Born January 28, 1973 in Oxnard, CA USA
Biographical Information[edit]
Jacob Cruz played parts of nine seasons in the majors. In 409 games split among five teams, he .241/.331/.377 with 19 home runs. His minor league career started in 1994 and, except for the year 2000, continued to 2006. He was a strong hitter in the minors, with a .306 average over 11 seasons and a .482 slugging percentage. Nine of those seasons were in Triple A. Cruz played in the KBO in 2007 and part of 2008 (Hanwha Eagles and Samsung Lions, respectively). Later, he played for the Potros de Tijuana (2008) and Dorados de Chihuahua (2009-2010) of the Mexican minors and the Sioux City Explorers of the independent American Association (2010).
In 2011, Cruz became a hitting coach in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization with the Yakima Bears. He continued as a hitting coach with the Visalia Rawhide in 2012, the Mobile BayBears from 2013-2014, and the AZL Diamondbacks from 2015-2016. After the 2014 season, Cruz coached Salt River Rafters hitters in the Arizona Fall League (AFL). Cruz moved to the Chicago Cubs organization in 2017 as hitting coach of the Tennessee Smokies before a second stint in the AFL with the Mesa Solar Sox. The Cubs promoted Cruz to Minor League Hitting Coordinator in 2018.
In 2019, he was named assistant hitting coach of the Pittsburgh Pirates, his first major league coaching assignment. In 2020, he moved to the Milwaukee Brewers in the same capacity and stayed until the end of the 2021 season. Cruz returned to the San Francisco Giants organization in 2022 as their Minor League Assistant Hitting Coordinator, a position he continued to hold in 2025.
In recent years, Cruz has also coached internationally. He was the hitting coach for Mexico in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and 2024 Premier 12. During the 2024/2025 Mexican Pacific League season, Cruz was the Quality Control Coach for the Algodoneros de Guasave.
Records Held[edit]
- Most Strikeouts as pinch-hitter, season: 29 (2005), tied with: Brooks Conrad (2011)
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