Added Velocity Helps Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz Stand Out For Red Sox
From the time that the Red Sox drafted Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz as a 17-year-old out of Puerto Rico in the fourth round in 2021, the lanky 6-foot-3 righthander—listed at 160 pounds—represented an exercise in projection.
This season, possibility has increasingly aligned with reality.
Rodriguez-Cruz spent all of 2023 at Low-A Salem, recording a 2.60 ERA in 55.1 innings, but he missed roughly two months with elbow inflammation. The Red Sox asked him to get stronger in the offseason to gain velocity.
Rodriguez-Cruz met the challenge.
“He’s touched 99 (mph), and sits 96,” Red Sox farm director Brian Abraham said. “It’s a much different arm than we saw last year, when we saw more 92-95s, sitting 94.”
Though the shape of Rodriguez-Cruz’s fastball sees it play below its velocity, it is thrown hard enough that it still effectively anchors a four-pitch mix that is rounded out by a swing-and-miss slider, changeup and curveball.
With the improved power of the 20-year-old’s fastball and sharpness of his secondary pitches, Rodriguez-Cruz has seen a jump in results while back in Salem.
In addition to a 2.44 ERA through 55.1 innings, his strikeout rate rose to 29% and his walk rate fell to 9%. He had allowed only one home run.
And even with added strength gains this season, Rodriguez-Cruz still has room to fill out and is young enough to forecast improvement, particularly given his feel for his arsenal.
“With the floor that he’s now showing, along with the chance to keep developing as a 20-year-old, I’m bullish on him,” one scout said. “There’s a real chance to start.”
SOX YARNS
- Top Red Sox pitching prospect Luis Perales, 21, and fellow Double-A Portland righthander Angel Bastardo, 22, both had Tommy John surgery in late June and will be out through most if not all of the 2025 season.
- Double-A Portland shortstop Marcelo Mayer became just the third Red Sox position player to be named to multiple Futures Games, joining Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers.
