Trei Cruz an example of how Detroit Tigers prospects are developing while winning

ERIE, Pa. — The transformation is remarkable.

Trei Cruz readily admits that he was a selfish baseball player when the Detroit Tigers drafted him in 2020's third round out of Rice.

But the Tigers worked with him. Coaches. Teammates. Even a sports psychologist.

This is the side of development that we don’t talk about very often. The mental and emotional side.

And now?

“He is our MVP,” Erie Seawolves manager Gabe Alvarez said Thursday, before Erie's biggest game of the season. “He's a leader. He's a guy that people follow and gravitate to — you know, he's our team DJ. He runs music in the clubhouse.”

Then, Cruz went out and turned that music up loud, setting the stage to play a key role in the Seawolves’ 7-3 victory over the Richmond Flying Squirrels (the San Francisco Giants' Double-A affiliate) to win the Eastern League's Southwest Division series on Thursday night at UPMC Park.

Erie advances to the Eastern League Championshp for the second consecutive season: Playoff baseball, baby!

I had to go all the way to Erie to see it but it was worth it. Just to see fans waving rally towels over their head and a team playing a big game on a crisp fall night — a scene unknown in Detroit for far too long.

Battling leadoff, Cruz had two hits, an RBI and a run scored.

“I think I've come a long way,” Cruz said. “When I was younger, less experienced, and I think a little bit more selfish at that time. Just thinking about me and what I'm doing. And I think I've grown. Now, I think about how I how can I affect this game? How can I affect the team to win, not caring about what I'm doing but how can I help other guys do better?"

Drafted as an infielder, Cruz learned to play center field this year, making him a four-position prospect: Second base, shortstop, third base and center field.

Actually, Cruz is a completely different player, a different teammate.

“I want to be an example,” Cruz said. “And I hope it can rub off on some of these guys.”

Yes, the Sewaolves were smiling on Thursday night. And Cruz would also be the first player to say he didn’t do this alone.

No, this was a complete team victory.

Let’s start with Chris Meyers, a 6-foot-3, 210-pound first baseman who jacked a pair of homers.

Outfielder Ben Malgeri — a bit smaller at 6-1 and 215 — hit one, too.

Right-hander Ty Madden, the Tigers' second pick in the 2021 draft (at No. 32 overall) and the No. 6 prospect in the organization (according to MLB Pipeline), got the start. He was dealing Thursday until he got into trouble in the seventh. He finished with five hits and three runs over 6⅓ innings, with eight strikeouts and three walks.

Now, Erie will play the Binghamton Rumble Ponies — the New York Mets' Double-A affiliate — for the Eastern League title, beginning Sunday.

“What would it mean to win this series?” I asked Cruz.

“It would be great,” Cruz said. "Obviously winning the series is part of the job we got to do, but I mean we're looking at (trying) to win this whole thing. That's why we're here, and I'd love to be able to play as many games as possible this year."

And now, they will.

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Contact Jeff Seidel at jseidel@freepress.com or follow him @seideljeff.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers prospects in Double-A gaining maturity through wins