Cruz named Brewers' MiLB POY
In 128 combined games between Double-A Huntsville and the Sounds, the 25-year-old batted .289 (132-for-456) with 27 home runs and 81 RBIs. He ranked second to ex-Sound Prince Fielder (28-86) in both home runs and RBIs among Brewers farmhands. Forty-five percent of Cruz's hits went for extra bases this season (59 of 132) and he added 19 stolen bases to his resume.
The outfielder began the year at Double-A Huntsville, where he hit .306 (76-for-248) in 68 games with a team-leading 16 homers and 54 RBIs (third on club). Following a June 29 promotion to Nashville, Cruz hit .269 (56-for-208) in 60 games with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs at the Triple-A level to complete the campaign.
Cruz was red-hot upon his addition to the Nashville roster, reaching base safely in his first 34 contests with the Sounds from June 30 through August 9 and batting an impressive .322 (39-for-121) over that stretch. In his June 30th Sounds debut, the Dominican belted a game-winning homer and drove in three runs to lead Nashville to a 6-3 win over division-rival Memphis one night before his 25th birthday.
He rebounded from a slow August (.214 average in 29 games) to cap off his impressive year with a solid postseason for Nashville and was named the MVP of the Pacific Coast League Championship Series after hitting .385 (5-for-13) with three home runs and eight RBIs in the Sounds' three-game sweep of Tacoma. For the entire postseason, Cruz led all PCL batters with his four homers and 11 RBIs while batting .300 (9-for-30) in eight contests.
In addition to his prowess with the lumber, Cruz showed off a strong arm from his post in right field throughout the season. He compiled eight outfield assists for Huntsville and added nine more with the Sounds to total 17 assists on the year.
Cruz -- who participated in the 2005 All Star Futures Game in Detroit as a member of the World squad (0-for-2) -- is a member of the Brewers' 40-man roster and was recalled by Milwaukee following the Sounds' postseason run. He made his Major League debut on Saturday against Houston as a late-inning defensive replacement and was retired on a flyout to center by Astros hurler Ezequiel Astacio in his first career at-bat.
Cruz picked up the Robin Yount Performance Award as Player of the Year in his first season in the Brewers organization after being acquired from the Oakland Athletics last December along with pitcher Justin Lehr in a deal that sent veteran infielder Keith Ginter to the A's.
The Brewers' 2005 Minor League Pitcher of the Year is Tim Dillard, who went 12-10 with a 2.48 ERA (51er/185.1ip) in 28 starts at Class A Brevard County this season. The 22-year-old righthander struck out 128 while walking only 31 batters in his third professional season.
Both players will officially receive their awards during a ceremony held at Miller Park in Milwaukee this weekend.