Mariners Give Cruz Bad News Seattle’s Top Prospect Learns He’ll Begin Season In Tacoma

Some day, Jose Cruz Jr. might laugh when he tells the story of how the Seattle Mariners cut him this spring, the day after hitting two mammoth home runs.

Tuesday was not that day.

“I’m a little numb,” the 22-year-old outfielder said. “I thought I’d done everything they’d asked of me. I thought I’d gotten better as the spring went on. I did all I can do …”

For Cruz, perhaps the best offensive prospect in the Seattle system, batting .339 this spring wasn’t enough. Nor were the four home runs and 10 RBIs he compiled in 24 exhibition games. Just before he finished putting on his Mariners uniform Tuesday, he was told he was being sent down to Class AAA Tacoma to open the 1997 season.

With manager Lou Piniella still in the hospital Tuesday morning, the task of passing that information along fell to coach Lee Elia.

“I tried to tell him what we wanted him to work on, how much we thought of him and impress on him the fact that we’re all looking long term for him and the team,” Elia said. “I don’t know how much of it he heard. I know we don’t doubt he’s going to be here before long.”

In truth, Cruz heard it all - especially the part about his having to learn to hit breaking pitches and off-speed pitches.

The son of a former major league player, Cruz took the news so hard that after leaving the meeting with Elia he disappeared for nearly an hour - and teammates Edgar Martinez, Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez all sought him out.

“Edgar told me this happened to him for years and years, and that I was on a fast track to get here,” Cruz said. “He told me not to think of it as the end of the world, to keep my attitude good and keep working.”

And Griffey?

“Junior just said, ‘You’re going to be here, don’t worry.”’ Veterans Lee Tinsley and Rich Amaral will begin the season platooning in left field.