Fernando Cruz

Fernando Cruz didn't reach the big leagues until he was 32 years old. He pitched in Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic before a single MLB team gave him a shot. And then, at 35, he showed up with the New York Yankees carrying the best splitter in baseball and struck out hitters like he'd been doing it his whole career. Because he had -- just not on this stage.

Path to the Bronx

Cruz's journey is the definition of the long way around. He bounced through independent and winter leagues across Latin America for over a decade, never getting the call. The Cincinnati Reds finally gave him a chance, and he debuted in 2022 at age 32. Over three seasons in Cincinnati, he appeared in 141 games, posted a 4.52 ERA, and punched out 228 batters in 147 innings. The surface numbers weren't flashy, but the underlying metrics -- a 3.06 FIP and a 36.1 percent strikeout rate -- told a different story. This guy could miss bats.

On December 20, 2024, the Reds traded Cruz and catcher Alex Jackson to the Yankees in exchange for catcher Jose Trevino. New staff, new city, same splitter.

Yankees Career

Cruz was one of the best relievers in the American League in 2025. He appeared in 49 games, threw 48 innings, and posted a 3.56 ERA with 72 strikeouts. That K rate -- 13.50 per nine innings -- ranked third among all major league relievers. His splitter was borderline unhittable, and hitters knew it was coming and still couldn't lay off.

He hit 300 career strikeouts on September 21 at Baltimore -- a number that means a little extra for a guy who spent his twenties pitching in winter leagues just hoping someone would notice.

Key Moments

The Role

Cruz is the setup man you didn't know you needed. He's not going to close games (probably), but he can come in during the seventh or eighth inning and erase a lineup. The splitter is his calling card -- it falls off the table, and hitters chase it even when they tell themselves they won't. At 35, he's not a long-term play, but right now? He's one of the most dominant relievers in the league.

What separates Cruz from your average strikeout reliever is how he sets up that splitter. He throws a fastball in the low-to-mid 90s that looks hittable enough to make batters commit, and then he pulls the string with the split. It's not a two-pitch mix that works because both pitches are great -- it's a two-pitch mix that works because one pitch makes the other one deadly. Hitters can't sit on the splitter because the fastball will beat them, and they can't sit on the fastball because the splitter will make them look foolish. That's why he strikes out more than a batter per inning despite not throwing 98 or carrying a slider with 3,000 RPM of spin.

The story itself is part of the appeal. Cruz spent his entire twenties grinding through leagues most fans couldn't name, pitching in ballparks where the scouting reports didn't follow you to your next stop. He didn't get bitter about it -- he just kept pitching, kept refining that splitter, and waited for someone to open the door. The Reds opened it. The Yankees walked through it.

The Yankees don't get this version of Cruz without the Reds developing him first. But they're the ones who get to use him when it matters.