Todd Cruz did something right in 1983. He was rated a 3B-5 after all. Give the Baltimore Orioles a little credit with this. Cruz didn’t play third base until he was traded from Seattle to Baltimore midseason.
Cruz wasn’t much of a hitter but I will say this: he was consistently bad. He hit righties (.205) better than he did lefties (.190). His home/away splits were close at .196/.202. His first half didn’t sway much from the second half either (.191 to .208). The biggest difference was that of his 10 homers, he hit eight of them in the first half. Must have been working on that third base glove work.
| Split | G | GS | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 Totals | 146 | 127 | 475 | 437 | 37 | 87 | 13 | 3 | 10 | 48 | 4 | 7 | 22 | 108 | .199 | .241 | .311 |
Like last week’s TCT entry, Dioner Navarro, Todd Cruz has a decent second column with fourteen 1s behind two 0s. After that though, you’ll have to scrounge for hits. Cruz does get a 33-7 but then gets two 8s and two 9s. APBA granted him a 15-10 on his four steals in 475 plate appearances (you’ll note that he was caught stealing seven times, though).
Cruz struck out 108 times in 437 at-bats. That was eighth in the AL. I didn’t do the math on this but it doesn’t seem like his 13s quite add up. That said, cards like Cruz’s can look deceiving. They get their 13s on numbers like 13, 35, and 42 instead of typical dice rolls like 26 and 46. Never fear, Cruz DOES get one on 24.
Point of observation: the 12 was on the 43 in 1983 so I’m guessing the 29 was moved to 23 for most players that year.
Another point worth mentioning… according to Baseball Reference, Cruz is ranked 6th in the AL in Defensive Wins Above Replacement (for those who fathom such stats). APBA gave Cruz his 3B-5 before such stats existed (I think) so maybe they were on to something.
Sadly, Todd Cruz is no longer with us. He passed away at the young age of 52 in 2008. When I started this Terrible Card Tuesday feature last year, I mentioned that my intention was not to belittle the players but to memorialize the APBA cards themselves. That bears repeating. As someone who watches college baseball players play the game with all their heart, I respect anyone who wears the baseball uniform at any level. Here’s hoping Cruz is in a better place.
