Cruz earns MVP in Tucson's 1st title run

Nelson Cruz came up with a number of big hits during this year's title run for top-seeded Tucson, earning playoff MVP honors after the Scorpions won Game 6 over Arkansas to win their first DMBL title.
Cruz led all players, along with Lorenzo Cain of Arkansas, with 15 hits this postseason, for a playoff slash line of .341/.375/.545 in 11 starts. He had a team-high 8 RBI (no other Scorpion had more than 4), including a critical two-run home run in the title-clincher. Overall, he was 15-for-44, with 2 HR, 3 doubles and 6 runs scored. He also had 13 strikeouts and 3 walks.

Cruz typically batted 4th or 5th for the Scorpions but also made timely defensive plays in right field, including some critical outfield assists at home.

In the final against Arkansas, Cruz was 10-for-25 (.400) with 1 HR, 5 RBI and 2 runs scored. In the semifinal series versus Allentown, he went 5-for-19 (.263) with 1 HR and 3 RBI, with 2 runs scored and a double.

On the pitching side of things, Tucson got big postseason performances out of unlikely spots. Carlos Villanueva had a rather pedestrian regular season, amid bullpen stars like Ken Giles, Dellin Betances and Tony Watson. But the crafty right-hander made 4 postseason appearances, tossing 11 shutout innings and yielding just 3 hits. He struck out 12 and walked 2 while recording 2 wins, including the clincher, in which he went 4 innings.

Watson earned a team-high 3 saves and a win for the Scorpions in 6 appearances. Betances tossed 10 innings in 6 appearances for a 1.80 ERA, while going 1-1 with a save. Zach Greinke was perhaps the most consistent starter, going 1-1 in 3 starts with a 2.78 ERA and 1.01 WHIP. Jake Arrieta was shellacked in a semifinal start but rebounded to throw 10 innings in his next start in Game 1. Despite 3 no-decisions, he was 0-1 and sported a 0.92 WHIP and 3.38 ERA, with a team-high 24 innings in 4 starts. Jon Lester was the lone Scorpion starter with two wins.

Had Arkansas pulled out a win in the finals, Cain would undoubtedly have gotten major consideration for MVP. He slashed .319/.319/.574 with a league-high 11 runs and was seemingly in the middle of every Golden Falcons rally. He smacked 2 doubles and 2 triples while striking out 9 times against no walks.

Arkansas had perhaps the best and most consistent starter in the postseason in Dallas Keuchel. In 4 starts, he tossed a league-high 26 innings, going 2-0 with a 1.73 ERA and 0.81 WHIP. He struck out 25 and walked just 3. Matt Harvey also was excellent. Despite an 0-1 mark, he sported a 1.61 ERA in 22 1/3 innings with 30 strikeouts and 1.07 WHIP.

The Golden Falcons bullpen was outstanding up until the end. Carson Smith notched 3 saves without allowing a run in 7 innings against a 10:1 K:BB ratio. Kelvin Herrera didn't allow a run over 8 innings in 4 appearances. Sam Dyson had a team-high postseason 6 appearances and was solid until his last appearances, which probably will earn him the goat horns after two losses, in Games 4 and 6.