EASTLAKE, Ohio – For the week of Aug. 4-9, the Lake County Captains are recognizing RHP Conner Whittaker and OF Luis De La Cruz as the 19th set of Captains of the Week for the 2026 season for their impressive showings against the Lansing Lugnuts.
CONNER WHITTAKER, RHP
Whittaker made two relief appearances for the Captains this past week against Lansing.
The right-hander allowed three runs on four hits in 3.2 combined innings of work, striking out four without a walk.
On Sunday, Aug. 9, the 23-year-old earned the win out of the bullpen in Lake County’s 11-9 series finale victory (10 innings). He permitted two runs on two hits in an inning of relief, throwing two strikeouts without a walk.
On Thursday, Aug. 6, Whittaker allowed just one run two hits in 2.2 innings out of the bullpen, striking out two without a walk. This marked his first appearance for the Captains since Sept. 7, 2025 versus Great Lakes.
Whittaker was promoted to the Captains from the Single-A Hill City Howlers on Tuesday, Aug. 4. After beginning the season on the 60-day injured list, the Sarasota, Florida native tossed 4.2 scoreless innings of relief across four rehab appearances for the Arizona Complex League Guardians, earning a pair of wins out of the bullpen. He then made eight relief appearances for the Howlers, earning two saves and throwing 13 strikeouts in 12.1 innings of work.
Whittaker was selected by the Cleveland Guardians in the 15th round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Florida State. He was originally promoted to the Captains from the eventual 2025 Single-A Carolina League Champion Lynchburg Hillcats (now Hill City Howlers) on Aug. 11, 2025. The right-hander logged a 1.96 ERA in five relief appearances for Lake County last season, earning two wins for the Captains.
LUIS DE LA CRUZ, OF
De La Cruz had an impressive High-A debut series at the plate against Lansing this past week.
The 19-year-old tied the Lake County lead with nine hits and three doubles, batting .346 with four RBI in six games for the Captains.
De La Cruz logged his most notable performance on Sunday, Aug. 9 in Lake County’s 11-9 series finale victory (10 innings), going 3-for-6 at the plate with a two-run double. He also hit a two-run double in his High-A debut on Tuesday, Aug. 4 for his first career High-A hit.
De La Cruz is currently on a 12-game hitting streak across the Captains (six games) and Single-A Hill City Howlers (six games), batting .370 with 17 hits, 11 RBI, seven stolen bases, and a 1.083 OPS during this span.
De La Cruz was signed by the Cleveland Guardians as an international free agent on Jan. 15, 2024 out of Pimentel, Dominican Republic. The switch-hitter was promoted to Lake County from the Single-A Hill City Howlers on Tuesday, Aug. 4 after an impressive 80 games for Hill City. At the time of his promotion to the Captains, he was one of just six Single-A players with at least 30 extra-base hits, 30 stolen bases, and 50 RBI this season.
The Captains will return to Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake for a seven-game home series versus the Dayton Dragons from Tuesday, Aug. 11 through Sunday, Aug. 16 with a variety of exciting promotions in store.
Lake County will begin the homestand with Community Champions Night for utility workers on Tuesday, Aug. 11, where the Captains will also celebrate 811 Call Before You Dig Night presented by Northeast Ohio Natural Gas. On Wednesday, Aug. 12, Lake County will host Senior Day and Ditch Work Day.
Then, on Thursday, Aug. 13 (doubleheader), the Captains will celebrate Dawg Night presented by Thirsty Dog, where Lake County will pay special tribute to Golden Retrievers. From 6-7 p.m., the Captains will host a meet-and-greet event with Charlie the Golden Retriever, who will portray Buddy in the upcoming movie “Air Bud Returns,” and Mokoro the Bat Dog. It will also be Strikeout the Stigma Night at the ballpark, where Lake County will partner with the Radical Hope Foundation to celebrate the importance of mental health in baseball, as well as Jewish History Night.
On Friday, Aug. 14, the Captains will host Stand Up to Cancer Night, with a postgame Fireworks Friday show presented by Minutemen. Then, on Saturday, Aug. 15, Lake County will celebrate Random Jersey Night, where the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a Captains Fleece Blanket presented by Stanley Steemer. There will also be a postgame fireworks show presented by Coca-Cola.
Finally, on Sunday, Aug. 16, the Captains will celebrate 2016 AL Champions Day, where the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a Jason Kipnis Bobblehead Box presented by Minutemen. It will also be I Love Art Day, with a dedicated craft ticket package available for fans presented by Busy Bees Pottery & Arts Studio, as well as Wellness Day presented by Power Yoga Collective. Additionally, it will be Family Fun Sunday presented by Classic Auto Group, which will feature pregame catch on the field and player autographs on the concourse, plus postgame kids run the bases presented by Akron Children’s Hospital.
The series will be broadcast on the Bally Sports Live App, the MiLB App, and StreamGuys, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram. Lake County’s Wednesday, Aug. 12 game will also be broadcast on the Rock Entertainment Sports Network (RESN).
About the Lake County Captains:
The Lake County Captains are the professional High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians located in Eastlake, Ohio. Our mission is to honor the rich history of our organization, while also introducing baseball to a new generation of fans through innovative means. We are committed to supporting our community, sports teams, and each other by demonstrating passion and having fun every day.