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Jose Cruz­ plays ball at Jackson State PDF Print E-mail
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Friday, 07 May 2010 15:22

 

GHS_Signing02_042010

News-Gazette Photo/Andrew Sullivan

Jose Cruz (wearing tie) signed a baseball scholarship recently at Gateway High. Joining him, front left, are his stepfather Eliezer Carraballo, mother Carmen Pagani and brother Miguel Cruz. Standing from left are sister Janice Carraballo, father Jose Cruz Sr. and Gateway Coach Rob Hammond.
By Ken Jackson
Sports Writer
Gateway High School’s Jose Cruz, the Panthers’ catcher, led the team with his arm and his bat.
Those impressive tools will be moving up a level after the 6-1, 220-pound senior signed a scholarship to play at Jackson State, a Division I program in the Southwestern Athletic Conference in Jackson, Miss.
The school made the offer during his visit in March, and Cruz made it official in front of friends and family inside Gateway’s media center. He said that Bethune-Cookman in Daytona Beach also expressed interest, but JSU offered the better prospect of playing time.
“Their top two catchers are seniors this year,” Cruz said. “They’re bringing in another catcher with me and they said that if I do what’s expected of me, I will have the chance to start.”
GHS Coach Rob Hammond said that a defensive catcher who can handle a pitching staff and hold runners at bay is a valued commodity.
“We’ve had good catching coaches, and he’s improved some since I’ve been here,” said Hammond, in his second season at Gateway.
Cruz developed to the point that he called every pitch this season behind the plate.
“The catcher can tell what stuff a pitcher has left better than I can in the dugout,” Hammond said. “He has a reason for every call he makes, and the pitchers have confidence in him. They can throw their breaking pitches or off-speed stuff in any count.”
But Hammond stressed that the Tigers, coached by Omar Johnson, are getting a catcher, not just a guy to squat behind the plate.
“He throws well and has good footwork, especially for a big kid. He just looks like a catcher,” he said.
Cruz has shown great ability with the bat as well. Anchoring the offense from the cleanup spot, he went into the 6A District 6 tournament batting .450 with three home runs and 27 RBI.
“They’re going to be real interested in his offense,” Hammond said. “He sees offspeed pitches early in counts now and does a good job of being patient.”
Cruz said he maintains a commitment to being a sound all-around player.
“Hitting is my favorite part of the game. But I work very hard on becoming a better catcher,” he said.
Cruz, a Kissimmee native, said his biggest worry will be adjusting more to life in the dorms and classrooms — he plans to major in biology — than on the diamond.
“I’m not nervous at all about playing college baseball. In the summer, our travel team used to scrimmage community college teams,” he said. “I know the pace of the game is faster than high school and I’m going to have to adjust to it.”
Cruz earned a ranking in the Perfect Game database, a listing of the country’s top travel-ball players, through his play with the Florida Hawks and Florida Brewers travel clubs.
He was scouted last summer by the Toronto Blue Jays, opening the possibility  of being selected in June’s Major League first-year player draft.
He’d be the first Gateway player drafted by a Major League team since Joe Torres was a first-round selection (10th overall) in 2000 by the Anaheim Angels.
 

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