José Cruz, Jr.
| José Cruz, Jr. | |
|---|---|
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| Outfielder | |
| Born: April 19, 1974 | |
| Batted: Switch | Threw: Right |
| MLB debut | |
| May 31, 1997 for the Seattle Mariners | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| June 5, 2008 for the Houston Astros | |
| Career statistics | |
| Batting average | .247 |
| Home runs | 204 |
| Runs batted in | 624 |
| Teams | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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José Luis Cruz, Jr. (born April 19, 1974 in Arroyo, Puerto Rico) is a retired Major League Baseball outfielder. Over his nine year playing career, Cruz played for eight different teams. Standing 6'0" tall and weighing 210 pounds, Cruz was a right-handed switch hitter. He is the son of former major league outfielder and Houston Astros first base coach José Cruz, and the nephew of former big leaguers Héctor and Tommy Cruz.
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[edit] Biography
Cruz lived in Bellaire, Texas and attended Bellaire High School, where he played baseball.[1]
Cruz attended Rice University from 1992 to 1995 and was a member of Team USA in 1994, and was also a three time All-American while at Rice, setting virtually all possible offensive records.
Cruz was a first round pick, 3rd overall, for the Seattle Mariners in the 1995 amateur draft and began his major league career on May 31, 1997. His days in Seattle were short as he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Paul Spoljaric and Mike Timlin on July 31, 1997. He holds the distinction of having the most home runs in the first season of a career while playing for two or more clubs. He stayed in Toronto until 2003 and twice hit at least 30 home runs with the Blue Jays. One of those was in 2001, when he also stole 32 bases to become one of 3 players to record thirty home runs and thirty stolen bases during that season (Bobby Abreu and Vladimir Guerrero). Toronto was undoubtably his best team. He was signed as a free agent by the San Francisco Giants on January 28, 2003. In San Francisco, he won a Gold Glove and broke Willie Mays' franchise single-season record for outfield assists with 19. Unfortunately, a few days before the Gold Glove was awarded to Cruz, he dropped a routine fly ball in the eleventh inning of game 3 of the NLDS against the Marlins. That error started a Marlins rally, and the Marlins, going ahead then 2 games to 1, took a lead in the series which they never relinquished. That same month the Giants declined to exercise an option on Cruz, instead choosing to cut ties by exercising a buyout. He was later acquired as a free agent by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2004. In 2005, Cruz Jr. played for three teams, the Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox and finally the Los Angeles Dodgers. Although injured most of the year, Cruz ended the season on a tear, hitting .301 with six homers as a Dodger.
Cruz was picked to play for Puerto Rico in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. In the tournament, Cruz hit .353 with a .476 on-base percentage in five games, helping Puerto Rico reach the second round.
The Dodgers designated Cruz for assignment on August 1, 2006, and eventually released him. Cruz later signed a contract with the San Diego Padres and played for them for a portion of the 2007 season. Cruz was placed on unconditional release waivers by the Padres on August 1, 2007. On August 18, 2007, the New York Yankees signed him to a minor league deal.
On November 28, 2007, he signed a minor league deal with the Houston Astros. At the end of the 2008 spring training, he was added to the 40-man roster. He was later designated for assignment.
In spring training in 2008, he led the major leagues in RBI, with 20. [1]
Cruz has worked as a Major League Baseball analyst for MLB.com.
Cruz said that he moved from Bellaire after being arrested by Bellaire police for a missing front license plate on a newly-purchased car and spending one night in jail in 2002. Cruz accused the police of racial profiling.[1]
[edit] Awards
Cruz won the NL Gold Glove in 2003 as a member of the Giants.
[edit] See also
- List of second generation MLB players
- List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters
- 30-30 club
[edit] References
- ^ a b Tolson, Mike. "Bellaire police shooting unearths unease." Houston Chronicle. January 11, 2009. Retrieved on January 11, 2009.
[edit] External links
- Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
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- 1974 births
- Living people
- People from Arroyo, Puerto Rico
- Major League Baseball players from Puerto Rico
- Major League Baseball outfielders
- Seattle Mariners players
- Toronto Blue Jays players
- San Francisco Giants players
- Tampa Bay Devil Rays players
- Arizona Diamondbacks players
- Boston Red Sox players
- Los Angeles Dodgers players
- San Diego Padres players
- Houston Astros players
- Gold Glove Award winners
- Rice Owls baseball players
- 2006 World Baseball Classic players
- Riverside Pilots players
- Everett AquaSox players
- Lancaster JetHawks players
- Tacoma Rainiers players
- Port City Roosters players
- Syracuse SkyChiefs players
- Tucson Sidewinders players
- Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees players
