Hopes for the Offseason: Tony Cruz

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Note: Hopes for the Offseason will be a series of posts regarding my hopes for players on the current St. Louis Cardinals’ 40-man roster. 

It’s hard to be the back-up to the best catcher in all of baseball, but somehow Tony Cruz manages.

Prior to the signing of A.J. Pierzynski, Cruz took care of business behind the plate after All-Everything Catcher Yadier Molina went down with a thumb injury. Cruz isn’t consistently great at hitting and he isn’t as great at the position at Yadi, so the Cardinals signed on A.J. to help lessen the burden on Cruz.

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He is a fan favorite for the way he goes about his business. He knows he is the back-up. And while he could eventually become a starter someday, he’s happy contributing to this team. And he may do just that for a couple of more years.

The 2015 season will be his first arbitration eligible season. Meaning the team can keep Cruz ass Yadi’s back up at a fairly low price. We’ll have to wait and see what GM John Mozeliak does!

In the meantime, here’s a few things Cruz can do this offseason!

* Please keep the walk-up music the same! I was at the game Cruz debuted this as his walk-up music. The crowd wondered what exactly was going on but over time, it became a favorite. It’s pretty awesome to hear it and see his teammates beat their chest in unison. Cheesy? Maybe. Cool? Yes!

* See if Yadi will work on his pick-off move with you. It would be nice to have another guy on staff that could be that awesome! God forbid Yadi get hurt again, but having a capable catcher is so important.

* And speaking of Yadi? What if he gets hurt or they move him to another position for a game or two to save his knees? Having Cruz ready and sharp will be an asset.

* Work on the fundamentals. It never hurts to keep working on your hitting, catching the pitching staff and fielding your position.