Every season, it feels like the Yankees reach into the pile and pull out a diamond no one else spotted.
This year, that unlikely gem is Fernando Cruz—and the story behind his transformation feels straight out of a baseball version of alchemy.
Yankees saw a weapon no one else valued
Cruz wasn’t supposed to be a difference-maker when the Yankees acquired him from Cincinnati in exchange for defensive wizard Jose Trevino.
He was 35 years old. He had a 4.86 ERA. Most teams likely passed without a second glance.
But New York Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake and his staff saw one thing that made everything click—Cruz’s splitter.
Rather than bury it in a typical pitch mix, the Yankees decided to go all in and make it the focal point of his arsenal.
The splitter has become his signature weapon
In 2024, Cruz threw his splitter 41.7% of the time. That number has skyrocketed to 56.4% this season.
Opponents are hitting just .089 against it with a .111 slugging rate. That’s not just good—it’s absurd.
He’s getting a 55.2% whiff rate and a 38.5% put-away rate on that single pitch alone. It’s simply unfair to hitters.
Sometimes it really is that simple: when you have a weapon, let it lead the attack.
Cruz’s new pitch mix makes him nearly unhittable
The Bombers also helped Cruz tweak the rest of his repertoire.
They increased the use of his sinker and slider while drastically cutting his four-seam fastball usage from 32.3% to 17.5%.
That reshaping has kept hitters off balance and given Cruz a much clearer identity as a dominant ground-ball and whiff machine.
It’s no surprise he’s suddenly one of the most dependable arms in the bullpen—and a reminder of what the Yankees do better than most.
This trade could pay off for years to come
Trading Trevino might’ve seemed like a high price, especially considering his elite framing and leadership behind the plate.
But the Yankees had a plan. They had J.C. Escarra rising through the system—and he’s already earning high marks as one of the league’s top framers.
That made Trevino expendable, and it made Cruz a bet worth making.
Now, the Yankees have Cruz under control through 2029. If age doesn’t catch him too quickly, he could be elite for several more seasons.
It’s just another chapter in the Yankees’ growing book of bullpen miracles—thanks in no small part to Matt Blake’s masterclass in pitcher development.
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