Tempe legend Raul Cruz who retired from pro baseball this offseason and became the first Knight to have his jersey number retired by the organization, was recently hired to develop the next generation of Tempe’s pitching talent. Cruz was appointed as the club’s pitching coach in short season A Whitehorse and will have a tough act to follow as the Explorers staff was outstanding in 2032 guiding the club to the Surf and Snow Amalgamation playoffs.  Cruz’s retirement was announced midway through the 2033 campaign and according to sources within the organization, he had expressed his interest in remaining with the club in an undetermined capacity following his playing career. The final details of the contract were ironed out over the preceding weeks and the notoriously hot blooded Cruz will now test his mettle as a coach in the frozen north. Details of the contract were not immediately made known but it is believed to be a two year deal with mutual options for several seasons.

Cruz’s playing career began in Tempe where he pitched for the Knights from 2016-2022.  After reaching free agency he moved to Lupin (later Toyama) and spent next three and a half years pitching for the Wind Dancers.  Cruz was traded to West Virginia at the deadline in 2026 and helped lead the Alleghenies bullpen to the PEBA championship in 2030. Following his five years in West Virginia (including part of 2031 with the club’s AAA affiliate in Mansfield), Cruz returned to Tempe for his final professional season in 2032. While he was a shell of his former self, Cruz helped draw fans during Tempe’s “inaugural return” campaign and ingratiated himself with the big league club’s coaching staff to the extent that he was mentoring the plethora of young relievers the team carried throughout the season.  That experience will serve Cruz well as he moves into the next role, and many eyes within the Tempe player development system will be focused upon him given his now important role in developing future Knights’ hurlers.