Infielder RobertAnthony Cruz left the 2021 MLB Draft with the unfortunate news that he went undrafted. Shortly after, he received the best news of his life: the Washington Nationals would be signing him to a contract.
Most who grew up playing baseball know the role dads play in helping you learn the sport, so Cruz immediately went to his father to break the news, leaving us this heartwarming reaction:
@coach.rac My Dad is a gem. Hardest worker I know. My name wasn’t called in the draft, but I got a surprise free agent contract.
His father asked the person recording the video, “Where is that going?” Little did he know his son's video has garnered 1.4 million likes on TikTok and reposts from major outlets such as SportsCenter and Overtime, all within a 24-hour timeframe. The official MLB Tik Tok account even took note of the video with this comment: “Why am I cryin in the club right now😭”
Cruz spent three seasons playing at Biola University in California, which is likely why at one point in the video you can hear a friendly worker telling him to manage a trade to the hometown Dodgers. RobertAnthony showed improvement one season after another, finishing his last season with 11 homers, 36 runs batted in, and a .388 batting average in just a 32-game sample size.
Obviously the skill level is much altered, but stretch those numbers out across a regular MLB season and you're looking at an absurd stat line. Hopefully we get to see RobertAnthony Cruz work his way up to the majors and make his dad even more proud as a member of the Nationals.
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