Root, Root, Root for the Home Team

It’s time to get serious, Jacob Cruz said while yawning away an October morning. He is staying at his sister’s house in until heading off to Maracaibo, Venezuela, in two weeks for his first taste of winter league.

“This is a good vacation, but it doesn’t last long,” Cruz said. “A lot will be decided this winter. I still need to step it up.”

Cruz, an outfielder from Channel Islands High and Arizona State, made his major league debut with the San Francisco Giants at midseason, was sent back to triple-A Phoenix, then finished with the Giants in September.

He hit .250 with one home run in 32 at-bats in September after hitting .222 with two homers in 45 at-bats in July. In 121 games for Phoenix, Cruz batted .285 with seven homers and 75 runs batted in to help the Firebirds win the Pacific Coast League Southern Division championship.

“I want to be in a position to fight for a job in spring training,” he said.

Cruz is one of several new faces for the Giants, who finished last in the National League West Division and won only 68 games. September games were a chance for rookies to audition for jobs.

“It was funny standing in right field in Cincinnati one day,” Cruz said. “I looked around and every player except Barry Bonds had been a Phoenix Firebird some time this year. I remember saying, ‘Let’s see what the Firebirds can do.’ Actually, we got beat pretty good.”

Because the September call-up was Cruz’s second stint with the Giants, he was more relaxed.

“The second time around I wasn’t in awe,” he said. “I was thinking, ‘Let’s go out there and play.’ The first time, you try to soak everything in as much as you can.”

Cruz got his fill of losing. He believes the Giants will make a commitment to improving their team before moving into a new downtown San Francisco stadium in the year 2000.

“The losing was tough to swallow,” he said. “That was pretty hard. In the clubhouse, everyone is intense after the games. It wasn’t a great atmosphere to jump into coming from minor leagues.”

The cadre of young Giants will bring enthusiasm along with their potential in coming years.

“The future of the Giants depends on whether they start over with a rebuilding phase or sign some guys and contend right now,” he said. “I just want to do whatever it takes to be part of it, either way.”