Unlike some organizations, Detroit doesn’t have a deep history of drafting Major Leaguers’ sons, with Clemens being a notable exception. There was an expectation that came with it.

But scouting director Scott Pleis sees an advantage in families, including with former first-round pick Matt Manning, whose father Rich played in the NBA and overseas.“When these kids are around the game growing up because of their parents, they feel comfortable with it, and they feel like they belong,” Pleis said. Rice shortstop Trei Cruz, whom the Tigers selected with the 73rd overall pick of the 2020 MLB Draft, does indeed have the gene. Comparisons will be made throughout his career, but Trei needs to focus on creating his own path in Detroit. He also was named a second-team high school All-America by Collegiate Baseball.

“He’s a switch-hitter. Rice shortstop Trei Cruz is unlikely to be one of the players affected. Good athlete, very versatile. The Tigers have agreed to terms with the Rice University infielder, their third-round pick in last week’s MLB Draft. In the 3rd Round of the 2020 MLB Draft, the Detroit Tigers have selected SS Trei Cruz out of Rice..

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September 9, 2019. “If it's at third base, if it's at short, if it's in the outfield, it is what it is.

Trei Cruz entered the 2020 MLB Draft with the chance to accomplish the rare feat.

June 17, 2020

He is projected to be drafted within the five rounds after three successful seasons at Rice University.

I'm excited to rep the Tigers organization and show the Cruz name in Detroit.”Keith, 18, was named Mississippi’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2019 after hitting .527 as a junior. After batting .307 in the Cape Cod League last year, he was hitting .328 with more walks (18) than strikeouts (17) and seven doubles in 16 games for Rice this season.“That really turned the corner for him in the Cape,” Jose Jr. said.

Good athlete, very versatile.

Here is the scouting report from MLB.com:. Rice’s shortstop Trei Cruz prepares for MLB draft with help from dad who played professionally Ari Alexander , Sports Reporter Published: May 15, 2020, 12:47 am Looking at top Draft classes. His bat has evolved the last few years and keeps getting better.

Just focus on your stuff.”Though Trei came with his own share of accolades, he’s his own style of player. 73 overall pick in the 2020 MLB draft. Keith participated in Major League Baseball’s Prospect Development Pipeline in 2019, playing in eight games with “Team Jeter.” Keith was selected a 2020 preseason All-America and to the preseason Southeast All-Region first team by Perfect Game.Keith had been committed to Arizona State, the same school from which the Tigers drafted first overall pick Spencer Torkelson and fourth-round pick Gage Workman.

MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis reported that Cruz will receive a $900,000 bonus, slightly above the slot value assigned to Detroit's third-round pick.

Cruz, 21, was the third of five Tigers picks on day two of the draft.

Cruz, who used to shag fly balls in batting practice with Cameron when their fathers were teammates in San Diego in 2007, would love to change that.That excitement over the family name wasn’t always easy, he admits.

Like his father and grandfather before him, Trei will play pro ball.Trei Cruz …

And the Tigers gained another high-upside hitting prospect.Though Keith was seen by some as a pitching prospect with a fastball in the low to mid-90s – he said 15 of 20 clubs who expressed interest saw him as a potential two-way player – the Tigers plan on developing Keith exclusively as a position player and hitter.

But Keith said in a Zoom call with reporters on Friday that he was likely to turn pro as long as the contract terms were acceptable.

His left-handed swing projects to develop power as he matures. … I'm excited to rep the Tigers organization and show the Cruz name in Detroit.”His father and grandfather would like nothing more.“My dad was getting all choked up when he got drafted,” Jose Jr. said. By He knows from experience. “He was very calm, very smooth, very collected, played better playing baseball every day. "When informed of his son's ambitions, Cruz Jr. said a successful career for his son would be a blessing: "We would be ecstatic if that were the case. The decision paid off with a solid Cape Cod League campaign last summer and a strong start for Rice this spring before the college baseball season ended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.“I think he still has some upside,” scouting director Scott Pleis said last week.

Being selected would earn him the distinction of becoming a third-generation Major Leaguer. Trei Cruz’s journey toward becoming a third-generation Major Leaguer is about to get started. Once he hit and he saw that he can compete against the best collegiate pitchers in America and with a wood bat, he was really confident about what he was doing.”Once the coronavirus pandemic ended the season in March, Trei went home and worked out with his dad and grandfather in preparation for the Draft.By then, the Tigers had already taken notice. “If it's at third base, if it's at short, if it's in the outfield, it is what it is.

I grew up with that whole thing, and I never competed with my dad. Now, like his father Jose Cruz Jr. before him and his grandfather Jose Cruz Sr. before him, Trei …