Trei Cruz has been swinging a baseball bat for longer than he can remember.
The third-generation pro has photos of himself swinging the stick from the early age of 2 years old. His father, former Tigers hitting coach and currently the head coach for Rice, José Cruz Jr., was in the middle of an 11-year run in the majors and playing for the Toronto Blue Jays. His grandfather, José Cruz, was in Philadelphia coaching the Phillies after wrapping up a fine 18-year career.
As Cruz told Bless You Boys, while there certainly was some pressure to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Cruz never really looked at his bloodline as anything other than an advantage over other players.