Sleeper of the Week

Remember all the way back in 1997, when Jose Cruz, Jr., then with Seattle, was considered the next big thing? Since then, Cruz has put together several solid seasons, but never quite fulfilled our lofty expectations. Now, those expectations are on the rise again, and perhaps with good reason.

Never mind the spring training statistics. Cruz may have hit .300, higher than any of his yearly averages, while leading the Rays in both home runs and runs batted in, but spring training numbers should be taken with a huge grain of salt.

And never mind the home run he hit off New York’s Mike Mussina in the season opener. While obviously not a bad sign, that same grain of salt also applies to feats of power in the less-than-cavernous Tokyo Dome.

The real reason to be optimistic is that Cruz appears to have the green light to steal bases this season. While he can always be counted on to contribute a decent amount of home runs (an average of 30.5 over the past four seasons), Cruz’ past fantasy value has been highly dependent on his SB totals. In 2001, when he swiped 32 bags, he was a fantasy force; last year, when his SB dropped to a paltry five, his usefulness in fantasy leagues plummeted as well.

In the opening games in Tokyo, Cruz attempted to steal both times he found himself on first base. While it’s clearly early days yet, this has to be considered a very promising sign, particularly considering the fact that he only attempted 13 steals in the entire 2003 campaign. Jose Cruz, Jr. has already proven that he has the ability to be a 30/30 player; maybe this year, he’ll once again have the opportunity to reach that plateau.