This imposing Phillies prospect took unlikely path

This story was excerpted from Todd Zolecki’s Phillies Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Carlos De La Cruz casts an imposing shadow at 6-foot-8, but even he had butterflies in his stomach last month when he walked into the Phillies clubhouse at BayCare Ballpark for the first time.

De La Cruz is the unlikeliest of Phillies prospects. Nobody drafted him in 2017 after he graduated from George Washington High School in the Bronx. But the Phils saw potential when they saw him play that summer for the New York Nine Scout Team. They took a flier on him and signed him. Almost seven years later, he is in the same clubhouse as Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and other Phillies stars.

“After that first day, it’s been good,” De La Cruz said this week. “I’m just trying to impress.”

MLB Pipeline earlier this week released its latest Top 30 Phillies prospects list. De La Cruz, 24, is No. 13, after batting .259 with 24 home runs, 67 RBIs and a .797 OPS in 582 plate appearances with Double-A Reading last season. He has power. He can run. He can play all three outfield positions, plus first base. But he is an unfinished project. He has a lot of swing-and-miss at the plate, which explains why organizations passed on him in each of the past two Rule 5 Drafts.

“That’s motivation for me,” De La Cruz said. “That puts a chip on my shoulder. It makes me want to be better. But I know I need to refine my approach. I just need to know myself. Fewer strikeouts is going to come with an improved approach. As long as I can cut down my strikeouts and walk more, I should be in a good place.”

But a 6-foot-8 hitter sure creates a substantial strike zone for a pitcher.

“I’m a big guy so it creates a big box,” De La Cruz said. “As long as I’m not chasing or looking for anything under my knees, I should be fine. I’m trying to keep everything belt-high and just trying to look for everything up there [in the strike zone]. That should give me a chance for the most part.”

It won’t be easy, but then again, his entire journey hasn’t been easy.

“That’s the beauty of this sport,” he said. “It’s making pitch-to-pitch adjustments. It’s just learning yourself, learning what the pitcher has and what he’s trying to do to you. But for the most part, as long as you stay stubborn to your plan, you should be good. Try not to deviate. If you think it’s a good plan, stick with it. Having a plan is better than having no plan.”

Besides Grapefruit League games, Phillies fans can see De La Cruz play in the inaugural Spring Breakout on March 16 in Lakeland, Fla., where top Phillies prospects will play top Tigers prospects in an exhibition at Joker Marchant Stadium.