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Rice Baseball: 2021 MLB Owls update – June 26

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The 2021 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are busy on the mound and at the plate. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls from this week.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon had a few important moments at the plate this week after missing a few days the prior week. He riding a modest four-game hitting streak, with a couple of extra-base knocks in the Angels’ weekend series against the Rays. That includes this long ball off Andrew Kittredge.

Through June 26, Rendon is hitting .232 with 15 extra-base hits, 20 walks and 36 strikeouts. His OPS is .665 and he’s collected 33 RBI.

Brock Holt – Texas Rangers

Holt played in a handful of games this week and was productive when given his opportunities, including the below bloop single which would become the game-winning run against the A’s on Wednesday. It was Holt’s first RBI since June 9.

Through June 26, Holt is hitting .231 with nine extra-base hits, 15 walks and 24 strikeouts. His OPS is .648 and he’s collected 12 RBI.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey made two appearances this week, working a 1.2 inning hold on Sunday against the Rangers, his longest out of the season since working two complete innings on May 16 against the A’s. He followed that up a shorter three-batter stint on Tuesday, being credited with 0.2 innings pitched, one strikeout, one hit and a walk.

Through June 26, Duffey has a 3.81 ERA with a 1.376 WHIP. He’s averaging 7.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetge – New York Yankees

Luetge continues to be one of the more reliable assets in the Yankees’ pen, working a combined 4.0 innings this week over the course of three appearances, allowing just one hit to the 15 batters he faced and no runs.

Through June 26, Luetge has a 2.37 ERA with a 0.947 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.5 strikeouts per nine innings.

J.T. Chargois – Seattle Mariners

Chargois came in to face one batter on two separate occasions this week. He got outs in each instance, stranding a few inherited base runners along the way. He owns a 2.00 ERA in the month of June.

Through June 26, Chargois has a 2.18 ERA with a 0.677 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

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Rice Baseball: 2021 MLB Owls update – June 19

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The 2021 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are busy on the mound and at the plate. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls from this week.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon has missed a few games this week with a triceps injury but was able to avoid the injured list. He made his return to the lineup on Saturday.

Through June 19, Rendon is hitting .236 with 13 extra-base hits, 19 walks and 30 strikeouts. His OPS is .668 and he’s collected 30 RBI.

Brock Holt – Texas Rangers

Holt reached base safely in each of his three games this week, extending his streak to eight consecutive starts in which he’s reached base. He’s become a regular at third base for the Rangers, flashing his leather in this still shot below.

Through June 19, Holt is hitting .235 with eight extra-base hits, 14 walks and 24 strikeouts. His OPS is .667 and he’s collected 11 RBI.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey made two appearances this week, allowing one unearned run and three hits over a pair of innings. He’s allowed a run in three of his last four outings but has kept his ERA hovering in the low 4’s. H earned his second save of the season on Friday against the Rangers,

Through June 19, Duffey has a 4.15 ERA with a 1.385 WHIP. He’s averaging 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetge – New York Yankees

Luetge was active this week, working 3.2 innings in the span of six days. He pitched two scoreless innings against the Phillies last Sunday, throwing 28 pitches, the most he’s thrown in a single appearance since a four-inning outing against the Rays on April 16.

Through June 19, Luetge has a 2.65 ERA with a 0.857 WHIP. He’s averaging 7.7 strikeouts per nine innings.

J.T. Chargois – Seattle Mariners

Chargois worked five innings this week over three games, all wins for the Mariners. He collected six outs in back-to-back outings for the first time this season, including a season-best three strikeout appearance against the Twins on Monday.

Through June 19, Chargois has a 2.25 ERA with a 0.700 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

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Rice Baseball: “Dreams do come true” for Jose Cruz Jr.

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Rice baseball officially welcomed Jose Cruz Jr. as its 22nd head coach, a moment that sparked hope and excitement in the Owls’ fanbase.

Flanked by his family, Jose Cruz Jr. was officially welcomed as the 22nd Rice baseball head coach on Tuesday evening. Donning a No. 22 jersey just like his playing days, the newest Owl coach flashed a familiar smile, delivering a confident, almost whimsical remark: “Hey, dreams do come true.”

In his introductions, athletic director Joe Karlgaard was crystal clear regarding the significance that Cruz has already had on South Main, calling him “one of the architects” that built Rice baseball into an Omaha-caliber program. Cruz didn’t stray far from his roots in his return to Houston, and in Karlgaard’s own estimation, “there weren’t many people who’d seen more Rice baseball games over the past five or six years than Jose.”

Cruz will have a much closer view the next time he walks through the gates of Reckling Park. For the time being, he’s been on the phone with his team. He already knows a good portion of the roster from his time around the ballpark. Now he’s going deeper, sharing his vision and talking about what he intends to build at South Main.

As for his coaching style, Cruz tipped his cap to former Houston Astros’ manager and current Detroit Tiger skipper, AJ Hinch for his teaching in recent months, saying he’s learned a lot from Hinch and others over his career in baseball.

More: Roost Podcast – Rice baseball to hire Jose Cruz Jr.

When it comes to how Cruz intends to run the ship, he plans to draw from several of those lessons learned along the way. “There’s some old school to it.” Cruz said of his coaching philosophy, “but it’s more of a modern style.” He went on to add that he’s “not going to be a big yeller about stuff”, stressing instead that he’ll focus on development and giving his players “the best possible opportunity” for success.”

With the pleasantries exchanged and opening remarks nearly finished, Cruz still wore his resolute smile. “We’re going to be closer to what we’re talking about being here at Rice,” he said, looking expectantly toward the future. A day both Jose Cruz Jr., and the Rice baseball family, are eager to embrace.

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Rice Baseball: 2021 MLB Owls update – June 12

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The 2021 MLB season is underway and Rice baseball alums are busy on the mound and at the plate. Here’s the latest from the MLB Owls from this week.

Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles Angels

Rendon drove in his 600th career RBI on Tuesday in the midst of a hot streak he’s been riding. Since June 1, Rendon is hitting .297 with 11 hits and 12 RBI in nine games. On Saturday he added his first home run since May 3, shown below.

https://twitter.com/jgroc/status/1403826764485480451

Through June 12, Rendon is hitting .241 with 13 extra-base hits, 18 walks and 28 strikeouts. His OPS is .687 and he’s collected 30 RBI.

Brock Holt – Texas Rangers

Brock Holt had a productive week, culminating in a walk-off hit to beat the Giants on Wednesday night. He also had a pair of multi-hit games.

Through June 12, Holt is hitting .242 with seven extra-base hits, 13 walks and 23 strikeouts. His OPS is .684 and he’s collected 11 RBI.

Tyler Duffey – Minnesota Twins

Duffey had two outings this week, giving up an earned run in both appearances. That’s the first time he’s surrendered an earned run in consecutive appearances this season.

Through June 12, Duffey has a 4.50 ERA with a 1.375 WHIP. He’s averaging 8.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

Lucas Luetege – New York Yankees

Luetege pitched parts of two innings in a single appearance this week. Of the five batters he faced, he allowed one hit with one strikeout and one hit batsman.

Through June 12, Luetege has a 2.97 ERA with a 0.956 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

J.T. Chargois – Seattle Mariners

Chargois appeared in two games this week, earning his fifth hold of the season on Sunday and his first win of the season on Wednesday. The win came in the 10th inning of a game with Detroit following a blown save by Chargois. He struck out two in the inning.

Through June 12, Chargois has a 1.80 ERA with a 0.667 WHIP. He’s averaging 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

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BREAKING: Jose Cruz Jr to be named Owls Rice baseball head coach

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A fan-favorite and productive player for the Owls many years ago, Rice baseball is expected to hire Jose Cruz Jr. as their next head coach.

A little more than two weeks from the start of their search, Rice baseball has a new head coach. The Owls will tab Jose Cruz Jr. to run their program.

Rice had options when it came to its coaching search. The Owls could have sought out an established assistant and were linked to some noteworthy candidates in recent weeks. Instead, Rice will return to its roots. Cruz. Jr checks both boxes given his relationship with the program’s past and present as well as experience playing and coaching at the highest levels.

Cruz Jr. returns to South Main where he first made his name for himself on the diamond. A three-time All-American with the Owls, Cruz Jr. went on to be selected as the No. 3 overall pick in the 1995 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. He went on  to play for several teams in his 12 year MLB career, spending most of his time with the Toronto Blue Jays.

More: Check out The Roost Podcast for more Rice news and analysis

He most recently accepted a job as a hitting coach with the Detroit Tigers in December of 2020 where his son, Trei Cruz, was recently selected as a third round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft.

In addition to his time as a player at Rice, Cruz Jr. has been a fixture around Reckling Park in recent seasons. His sons Trei and Antonio Cruz were both members of the Owls’ team in recent seasons, giving Cruz Jr. ample reason to frequent campus and stay in touch with the program that he’ll now take over full time.

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