He went viral after signing with the Nationals. Now, he’s a star for the Savannah Bananas.
RobertAnthony Cruz will make his Nationals Park debut on Saturday when the exhibition barnstorming team visits Washington.
For those unfamiliar, the Savannah Bananas travel across the country playing exhibition games with a unique set of rules designed to make baseball more entertaining. These include a two-hour time limit, no bunting, walks, stepping out of the batter’s box, or mound visits, and a scoring system where every inning counts. Plus, if a fan catches a foul ball, it’s an out.
The games feature constant music, choreographed dances, props, costumes, and even a player on stilts. While most of the fun is scripted, the baseball is played by former minor league and college players. Fans love it. Tickets are priced at $35, but for Saturday’s exhibition in D.C., the secondary market price is nearly three times that amount.
Last summer, a friend encouraged Cruz to try out for the Bananas in Orange County, Calif. Although familiar with Banana Ball through Dalton Mauldin, a former teammate, Cruz was hesitant as his Coach RAC brand was taking off, and he wasn’t keen on playing again.
Eventually, Cruz applied, attended the tryout, and impressed with both his baseball skills and the gymnastics moves he learned as a kid. “Everything kind of went my way,” Cruz said. “I got several hits, and I was able to pull out some of the gymnastics stuff that I did forever ago. It went really well.”
Three weeks later, Cruz was offered a spot on the team. He moved from Redlands, Calif., to Savannah, Ga., with his wife, Gigi, where the Bananas will play 23 games this year. He has only been back to California for a few days since.
The Bananas kicked off their season at the Yankees’ spring training ballpark in Tampa in early February. A month later, they sold out Houston’s 41,000-seat Minute Maid Park, the first of six major league ballparks on their 2024 tour. Astros legend Roy Oswalt, who pitched as a guest along with Roger Clemens, said the crowd noise was comparable to World Series games.
In his first year as the Bananas’ left fielder, Cruz has made a mark with his trick plays, including a backflip catch that ended a game in Buffalo, and getting a hit while stomping his feet to Dance Dance Revolution steps displayed on the scoreboard.
Cruz’s parents, Cynthia and Ron, have attended several of his games, including last month’s exhibition at Fenway Park, where Cruz hit home runs in batting practice, signed the Green Monster, led a Bible study, and signed hundreds of autographs. Bananas owner Jesse Cole, also known as the Yellow Tux Guy, arranged for Cruz’s parents to fly to D.C. for Saturday’s game.
“My dad will wear my Bananas jersey everywhere he goes, like the grocery store,” Cruz said. “I think he loves it when people ask him questions.”
Cruz has been expanding his personal brand with the Bananas, amassing 782,000 followers on TikTok, 448,000 on Instagram, and 367,000 subscribers on YouTube, where he shares longer videos.
“It’s been a bit challenging on the road, but maintaining the coaching videos has been a priority,” he said. “While I love playing, this has made me realize I enjoy creating content and coaching even more. There’s definitely more of that in my future.”
Cruz continues to stay in touch with some of the Nationals prospects he met during his brief time in the organization, including 2021 draft picks Brady House and Daylen Lile. As he prepares for his first trip to Nationals Park, which he calls the “most special game of the year,” Cruz acknowledges that playing in front of sold-out crowds and appearing on ESPN with the Bananas allows him to connect with more fans than he would in the minor leagues.
“I believe this journey has shaped who I am, and I’m very thankful for that,” Cruz said. “It’s almost too perfect that three years later, on the same day, I get to play at that park under such different circumstances. … It’s better than I could have imagined.”
