This outstanding prospect out of the University of Jacksonville has suffered through an early career filled with bad timing. After experiencing a log-jam of talent in the Tigers organization, Cruz was signed into the Yankee system just as Tino Martinez and Cecil Fielder inherited first. But the lefty slugger has perservered. He hit 83 homers in his last three seasons in the minors and drove in 90 or more runs in each of those seasons. After getting his first taste of the bigs last year, Cruz is even more determined to earn an
extended stay in the Bronx in '98. "It's something you always dream about and I'm so lucky to have that," Cruz said of his big-league stint. "To get back for good is the next step and I won't stop until I achieve that goal."
