Bryan De La Cruz

Bryan De La Cruz's Biography

Bryan Starling De La Cruz, an accomplished Dominican professional baseball player, was born on 16th December 1996. He has carved a remarkable reputation for himself in the domain of Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder for the esteemed Pittsburgh Pirates. Before joining the Pirates, De La Cruz showcased his prowess with the Miami Marlins. His journey began as an international free agent signed by the Houston Astros in 2013, culminating in his impressive MLB debut in 2021 with the Marlins.

De La Cruz’s professional career took off on September 24, 2013, when he joined the Houston Astros, a major step cemented by a significant signing bonus of $170,000. His debut season found him dazzling audiences in the Dominican Summer League (DSL) Astros, where he scored 262/.387/.317 with one home run and 22 runs batted in (RBI). The following year, De La Cruz moved to the Gulf Coast League Astros and continued to prove his mettle by hitting .242/.313/.268 with 12 RBI.

His bread-crumb trail in 2016 led him to Greeneville Astros and the Tri-City ValleyCats. Over the season, he demonstrated a combined score of .239/.331/.396 along with three home runs and 18 RBI. The year 2017 brought an expansion to his journey; it saw him splitting his expertise between Tri-City, Quad Cities River Bandits, and Corpus Christi Hooks. Throughout, he kept his consistency by hitting a combined .244/.290/.335 with two home runs and 21 RBI.

In 2018 De La Cruz advanced his playing to Quad Cities and the Buies Creek Astros, scoring a combined .289/.367/.375 with two home runs and 62 RBI. The subsequent year, he split his time between the Fayetteville Woodpeckers and Corpus Christi, amassing an impressive combined .280/.340/.428 with eight home runs and 43 RBI.

Regrettably, 2020 brought a sudden halt to his soaring trajectory due to the COVID-19 pandemic that led to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season. Despite the brief pause, he made a strong comeback in 2021, kicking off the season with the Sugar Land Skeeters. He hit .324/.362/.518 with 12 home runs and 50 RBI across 66 games.

De La Cruz was traded by the Astros, along with Austin Pruitt, to the Miami Marlins in exchange for Yimi García on July 28, 2021. Barely two days later, the Marlins elected to promote him to the major leagues. He made his MLB debut that very night, playing against the New York Yankees. De La Cruz marked his place in history by slamming his first-ever grand slam off of Chicago Cubs’ starter Adbert Alzolay on August 13. His rookie campaign showcased his playing in 58 games, where he batted .296 with five home runs and 19 RBI.

In the 2022 season, De La Cruz made it to the Marlins’ Opening Day roster. He played 115 games for them, with an impressive slashing of .252/.294/.432 along with 13 home runs and 43 RBI. The following year, he appeared in 153 games for the Marlins, exhibiting career-highs in home runs (19) and RBI (78) with a batting average of .257/.304/.411. His journey continued with the Marlins in 2024, where De La Cruz played 105 games, hitting .245/.289/.417 with 18 home runs, 51 RBI, and three stolen bases.

The Marlins traded De La Cruz to the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 30, 2024, in exchange for Jun-Seok Shim and Garret Forrester. At the time of the trade, De La Cruz held the distinction of being the Marlins’ season leader in home runs and RBI. With this move to the Pirates, Bryan Starling De La Cruz perpetuates his successful journey in the Major League Baseball, enhancing his reputation as an accomplished outfielder.