CRUZ EARNS A MAJOR ROLE

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. â€”  Jacob Cruz crouches in the batting cage on a spring morning, driving away the blues brought on by the San Francisco Giants having dispatched him to the Phoenix Firebirds.

Depression can almost leave an odor. Cruz takes another swing and catches a whiff of glum Chris Young walking behind the cage stabbing trash and shoving it into a plastic bag.

“What’s wrong?� Cruz asks.

Says Young: “What’s it look like? I’m picking up trash.�

“So you’re doing what you have to do,� Cruz says. “No reason to do it with a bad attitude.�

Young, 15, is cleaning the stadium as part of a juvenile court sentence. He pauses long enough to allow himself a smile.

Standing in the cage, Cruz, 24, is coming to terms with his own sentence: Another season in triple-A after putting up solid numbers in Phoenix and playing 37 games with the Giants last year.

The right fielder from Channel Islands High reflects on the advice he’s given the kid and goes back to hitting with a renewed spirit.

Fast forward to Saturday.

Cruz is called up to the Giants after putting up some of the best numbers in minor league baseball: a .364 batting average, 11 home runs, 88 runs batted in and 44 doubles in 121 games.

Meanwhile, Young is folding towels in the Firebirds’ clubhouse, joking with players and relishing his dual role as bat boy and clubhouse assistant. After he finished hitting that spring day, Cruz sought out Young and offered him a job.

“We had a lot in common,� Cruz said. “He still has his ups and downs, but it takes time and patience. He’s changed. You give a kid an opportunity and he can make the most of it.�

Funny how the same words that apply to an adolescent struggling to find his identity also ring true for a former first-round draft pick and Arizona State All-American on the verge of breaking into the major leagues for good.

Patience has created opportunity for Cruz. If the Giants do not put him on their list of 15 players protected from the upcoming expansion draft, expect the Arizona Diamondbacks to snatch him up.

Who better to patrol the Diamondbacks’ outfield than a player who has made local headlines since his freshman year at Arizona State in 1991?

Ralph Nelson, the Diamondbacks’ expansion draft coordinator, won’t discuss players in other organizations on the record. But it’s clear the fit would be ideal.

“The whole thing is a chess match, trying to figure out the strategy of who teams are going to protect,� Nelson said. “And they are figuring out the strategy of who we want, so they can determine who to protect.

“If we can take a player with ties to Arizona, that’s tremendous. It’s great to have marketable players, but people like to see winning clubs. We’ll take the best players we can.�

This season, the Giants are only promoting players who can help in their quest for the National League pennant. Unlike a year ago, when Cruz had his first opportunity, the team is not in a rebuilding mode.

Cruz made his major league debut last July. He homered against Tom Candiotti and Ramon Martinez of the Dodgers, but batted only .222 in 45 at-bats over 19 games and returned to Phoenix when veteran outfielder Glenallen Hill came off the disabled list.

Cruz batted .285 with seven homers and 75 RBIs for the Firebirds and returned to the Giants when rosters expanded in September. The Giants, well out of playoff contention, held what amounted to auditions for several positions. Cruz appeared in 18 more games, finishing with a .234 batting average, three home runs and 10 RBIs.

San Francisco, however, signed free agent outfielder Darryl Hamilton and picked up an option on Hill’s contract during the off-season, effectively spelling P-h-o-e-n-i-x for Cruz once again.

Since emerging from a short-lived funk after the Giants barely gave him a look in spring training, he became one of the best players in triple-A, leading the Firebirds in most offensive categories.

In July, Cruz played in the triple-A all-star game.

“It’s a great year to have a great year,� Cruz said. “Not just for me, but for a lot of triple-A guys. Teams are watching, and with expansion they are willing to give a guy a chance.�

The person who has charted Cruz’s progress most closely is Firebird Manager Ron Wotus, who coached Cruz in double-A Shreveport, La., in 1995. Wotus sees a more mature player whose commitment is unquestioned.

“He’s really turned the corner,� Wotus said. “He has a burning desire to get to the big leagues and stay there. He handled adversity the proper way. That’s what gets me excited about the guy.�

Any lingering questions after Cruz’s aborted attempt to play winter ball last year in Maracaibo, Venezuela, have vanished. He returned home after a month ill from the food and from four-hour bus rides each day to reach Maracaibo’s home field. Road trips were worse.

“We’d be on these winding roads, then all of a sudden we’re on dirt, no pavement, hugging the side of a mountain,� he said. “The driver would be passing cars with dust flying. I’d take some NyQuil and close my eyes.�

Upon returning home and splitting time between his sister’s home in Oxnard and his parents in Arizona, the 6-foot Cruz bulked up, adding 25 pounds and reporting to spring training at 205 pounds.

He’s down to 190, but extra weight hasn’t slowed him. Cruz had a career-high 18 stolen bases at Phoenix and was caught only three times.

“Most players’ focus revolves around hitting,� Wotus said. “I asked Jacob to become more aggressive on the bases and he’s done that. And he’s played a very consistent outfield.�

Scouts peg Cruz as a solid defensive player with an above-average arm who could hit .300 with occasional power in the major leagues.

Whether he is saying goodbye to Arizona once and for all won’t be determined until the expansion draft. Until then he’ll be doing all he can to help the Giants fend off the Dodgers in the National League West.

“I think it would be great to be [with the Diamondbacks],� he said. “But by the same token my dedication remains with the Giants. I wouldn’t mind playing for either team. We’ll see how it goes.�

Remaining in Phoenix would allow Cruz to continue to hold clinics for young ballplayers and donate time with the local Boys and Girls Club.

He also would maintain his friendship with Young, who reminds Cruz of kids he grew up with in Oxnard. It strikes Cruz that every piece of advice he’s given his young friend also hits home.

“We’d come to the same forks in the road and made different decisions,� Cruz said. “But it wasn’t too late for Chris. I offered him a job and he’s done the rest. I guess that’s all I’m looking for too.�