Chris De La Cruz Baseball Cards: Tracking the Career of a Promising Young Pitcher
Chris De La Cruz is a promising young right-handed starting pitcher in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. Though he is still making his way through the minor leagues, De La Cruz has shown early signs that he could develop into a valuable major league arm for the Dodgers. Let’s take an in-depth look at De La Cruz’s background and career so far by examining the baseball cards that have been produced featuring the young hurler.
De La Cruz was signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in July 2016. He spent his first professional season in the Dominican Summer League in 2017, posting a 3.38 ERA with 43 strikeouts over 46.2 innings pitched across 12 games (11 starts). His first baseball card came in 2017 Topps International, showing a clean-cut De La Cruz in a Dodgers uniform with “Los Angeles Dodgers” across the front. The back of the card provides basic stats from his 2017 DSL season as well as scouting notes describing his 6’3″ frame and low-90s fastball.
After a successful first season stateside, De La Cruz was assigned to the Dodgers’ Rookie-level Arizona League affiliate in 2018. He made 10 starts there, going 2-2 with a 2.57 ERA and 41 strikeouts over 41 innings. His improved performance led to inclusion in 2018 Topps Series 2, his first U.S. domestic card. The photo shows De La Cruz on the mound, revealing more muscle filling out his large frame. His stats and scouting notes were again included on the back.
De La Cruz’ breakout season came in 2019 when he pitched for Low-A Great Lakes. Across 23 starts, he went 9-5 with a 2.61 ERA and 117 strikeouts against just 25 walks over 106 innings. His dominance earned him a card in 2019 Topps Series 2, featuring an action shot from the mound. The card back highlighted his standout 2019 campaign and touted his control and developing secondary pitches. De La Cruz also received prospect rankings, appearing at #18 on MLB.com’s Dodgers Top 30 Prospects list entering 2020.
The cancellation of the 2020 minor league season due to COVID-19 prevented De La Cruz from building on his 2019 success. He still earned inclusion in several 2020 prospect sets. He appeared in Bowman Draft 1st Edition, Bowman Chrome, Bowman’s Best, and Topps Chrome Update. These cards generally featured the same action photos from previous issues but provided updated stats and prospect rankings. De La Cruz maintained his place as one of the Dodgers’ top pitching prospects entering the lost 2020 season.
With two full years of experience under his belt, De La Cruz was promoted to High-A Great Lakes for the 2021 season. He continued his dominance there, posting a 2.90 ERA with 103 strikeouts over 93.2 innings across 16 starts. This breakout performance led to De La Cruz earning prominent cards in 2021 Topps Series 1 and 2021 Topps Series 2. The photos showed an increasingly polished pitcher on the mound. His stats, prospect status, and scouting reports were all updated to reflect his success at the High-A level in 2021.
De La Cruz seems poised to start the 2022 season at Double-A Tulsa as one of the top pitching prospects in the Dodgers system. If he can maintain his control and continue developing his secondary pitches at the higher levels, he may not be too far from making his major league debut. Card collectors will be watching closely to see if De La Cruz earns inclusion in the 2022 Topps Series 1 set out of spring training, which would signify he has cemented his status among baseball’s elite pitching prospects. As his career progresses, the cards chronicling De La Cruz should provide an interesting case study of a promising international arm’s development through the Dodgers farm system. With his size, stuff and command, he has all the tools to become an impact major league starter.
The baseball cards of Chris De La Cruz offer an insightful longitudinal view into the development of a young pitching prospect since signing with the Dodgers in 2016. As he continues working his way through the minors, De La Cruz’s cards will serve as a tangible record of his statistical growth and evolving prospect status year over year. If he fulfills his potential, future De La Cruz cards may depict one of the game’s elite starters. For now, collectors will enjoy following the journey of this promising arm through minor league baseball and onto Greater Los Angeles Dodger Stadium in the years to come.
