Position: OF
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 175 lbs
Bats/Throws: R/R
Born: 12/16/1996
Country: Dominican Republic
Signed: International Free Agent, 2013 (Astros)
How Acquired: Trade (with Marlins for Jun-Seok Shim and Garret Forrester)
Bonus: N/A
40-man Roster: Yes
Rule 5 Eligible: N/A
Minor League Free Agency: N/A
Options Left: 2
Overview
De La Cruz is a corner outfielder with some power who hits only for a decent average, doesn’t walk much and strikes out a lot. Getting on base is not a strength, as he has a career OBP of just .305. De La Cruz took a long time — eight years — to reach the majors, held back by contact problems. The power started coming around in the upper minors, after the pandemic shutdown, and got him a callup after Houston traded him to Miami. For his career, his platoon split is minimal. De La Cruz has average speed but very poor range in the outfield. His arm gets highly variable ratings from Statcast. He’s usually played left with the Marlins, but has a little experience in center. Between the defense and lack of on-base skills, De La Cruz hasn’t had much value; he’s never reached one fWAR for a season, was below replacement level in 2023 and was exactly at it when the Pirates acquired him in 2024.
2014-20
De La Cruz spent four years in rookie and short season ball, hitting very little apart from a 28-game stint in 2016 in the high-offense Appalachian League.
In 2018, De La Cruz split the season between Low A and High A, and made progress at the plate, with a combined .742 OPS. He still wasn’t hitting for much power, but his walk rate of 11% was higher than it would be later in his career. In 2019, De La Cruz split the year between High A and AA, and hit about the same. He didn’t play in the pandemic season.
2021-24
In 2021, De La Cruz apparently came out much stronger. He hit well in the season’s first four months, with a 324/362/518 line in AAA, including a dozen home runs. At the deadline, Houston traded him to Miami, which immediately added him to the 40-man roster and called him up. He finished the season with the Marlins, batting 297/356/427, which remains his best season as a major leaguer.
De La Cruz was the Marlins’ regular left fielder from 2022 until the trade deadline in 2024. His hitting was consistent: batting averages around .250, OBPs around .300 and slugging averages a little over .400. His walk rate during that time was just 6%, his strikeout rate 24%. His value was dubious; he never put up a 1.0 fWAR season and, in 2023 and the first half of 2024, was below replacement level.
The Pirates acquired him in a deadline deal for Jun-Seok Shim and Garret Forrester. At that point, he was hitting 245/289/417 with 18 home runs and a K:BB ratio of nearly 5:1. After the trade, De La Cruz’ performance was dismal. He hit just 200/220/294 with the Pirates, with only three home runs in 44 games. His plate discipline was ugly, to put it mildly; his walk rate was 2% and his strikeout rate 31%. He also played poorly in right. Statcast ranked his defense in the 14th percentile. During the season’s final two months, De La Cruz accumulated -1.2 fWAR, making him literally the worst player in MLB during that time.
De La Cruz will be eligible for arbitration after the 2024 season.
Stats
Transactions
September 24, 2013: Signed by the Houston Astros as an international free agent.
July 28, 2021: Traded by the Houston Astros with Austin Pruitt to the Miami Marlins for Yimi Garcia.
July 30, 2021: Contract purchased by the Miami Marlins.
July 30, 2024: Traded by the Miami Marlins to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Jun-Seok Shim and Garret Forrester.