Luis Leroy Cruz made history for the Pescadores del Plata de Comerío in Liga de Béisbol Superior Doble A de Puerto Rico. He was named Pitcher of the Year, becoming the first player to earn the honor for the Pescadores.
“I’m super happy and grateful. Every award is truly a blessing, an achievement, and this year I worked hard to achieve it,” said Cruz, per the league’s website.
Cruz was 7-0 on the season. He had a 0.77 ERA in 58 2/3 innings of work. He also led the league in strikeouts and WHIP. He was a key player on the team that owns the best record in the league.
“It’s a blessing to be on this great team from Comerío,” said Cruz. “The teammates, the staff… we truly are blessed. We’re enjoying it. It feels like a family. I’ve been on quite a few teams, but here everyone supports each other through thick and thin. That motivates any pitcher.”
Cruz reached Triple-A with the Houston Astros in 2015. The talented pitcher, however, never broke through into the big leagues. Instead, he has played in independent leagues and international leagues. The San Juan native’s achievements in LBSDA are not only great individually, but put him on the radar for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.
Puerto Rico had players from MLB like Edwin Díaz, José Berríos, Marcus Stroman and Jorge López on their pitching staff in 2023. However, Cruz put together a strong season in Puerto Rico and is an experienced player who could contribute to his country on the world stage.
Cruz was not the only Pescadores player to earn honors from the league. Jose “Pocholo” Rivera won MVP, becoming the second player in franchise history to do so.
WBN Puerto Rico: https://worldbaseball.com/league/puerto-rico/
Photo: @pescadores_aa on Instagram
