Jose Cruz Stats & Facts
José Cruz
Position: Outfielder
Bats: Left • Throws: Left
6-0, 170lb (183cm, 77kg)
Born: August 8, 1947 in Arroyo, Puerto Rico
High School: Arroyo HS (Arroyo, Puerto Rico)
Debut: September 19, 1970 (13,098th in major league history)
vs. PHI 5 AB, 1 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Last Game: July 19, 1988
vs. TEX 4 AB, 0 H, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 0 SB
Full Name: Jose Cruz
Nicknames: Cheo
View Player Info from the B-R Bullpen
View Player Bio from the SABR BioProject
Relatives: Brother of Hector Cruz, Tommy Cruz; Father of Jose Cruz
Nine Other Players Who Debuted in 1970
Dave Concepcion
Jose Cruz
Don Baylor
Larry Bowa
Ken Singleton
Bobby Grich
Cesar Cedeno
Bert Blyleven
Charlie Hough
All-Time Teammate Team
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Notable Events and Chronology
Biography
A line drive hitter with great baserunning speed and no glaring weaknesses on a ballfield, Jose Cruz was one of the best players to ever wear an Astros’ uniform. Despite his skill, he never achieved superstardom because he played in the Astrodome, which negated much of his home run power. He was also very quiet and was usually overshadowed by other Houston players. Despite his lack of publicity, Cruz collected more than 2,000 hits and nearly 400 doubles, hit over .300 six times, and swiped more than 300 bases. Keeping himself in fantastic shape, the Puerto Rican-native played until he was 40 years old.
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Factoids, Quotes, Milestones and Odd Facts
Played For
St. Louis Cardinals (1970-1974)
Houston Astros (1975-1987)
New York Yankees (1988)
Linked: Jose Cruz Jr.
Best Season, 1984
A veteran Cruz batted .312 (his second straight season in the top ten in the National League). He swiped 22 bases ( at the age of 37), hit 28 doubles, 13 triples, and 12 homers. The left-handed batter set career highs with 96 runs scored and 95 RBI. Typically, he was much more effective on the road: batting .344 with a .545 slugging percentage and all of his homers away from the Astrodome. Cruz had a similar season in 1978.
Post-Season Appearances
1980 National League Championship Series
1981 National League Division Playoffs
1986 National League Championship Series
Where He Played: He was primarily a left fielder, though he played center field early in his career with the Cardinals.
Notes
Cruz frequently spent the “off-season” playing baseball in his native Puerto Rico.
Hitting Streaks
19 games (1983)
15 games (1979)
Transactions
In July of 1979, the Astros held a “Jose Cruz Day” at the Dome. During the ceremony, Cruz announced that he had reached an agreement with the team that would keep him in an Astros uniform through 2004. However, at season’s end, Cruz and his agent found themselves embroiled in a battle with the club. Cruz had signed what he called “a letter of intent” but the Astros felt he had inked his name to a contract. Since signing the document, Cruz and his representative balked at one area of the deal – a deferred payment plan. The Astros claimed that Cruz’s objections would double the value of the contract. Eventually, the two sides came to an agreement, estimated at $1.8 million for five years.
Data courtesy of Restrosheet.org
Quotes From Cruz
“Nobody has ever written or said much about me, but I’m quiet and don’t say much myself. I just love toplay baseball. I play 12 months a year and I never get tired.”
“I go for choppers and bloopers.” — describing his batting philosophy
Home Run Facts
Cruz was adversely affected by his tenure in the Astrodome. He slugged 119 homers away from the Dome, and 46 in 931 contests inside it. He hit well in Houston, posting a .297 mark in the Astrodome, but his slugging totals could have been much, much better had he played in a more neutral offensive park. In most of his best seasons, he had drastic home/road splits. For example, had Cruz played his home games in Chicago’s Wrigley Field, it’s likely he could have hit 30 homers on a regular basis.
Matchup Data
Hit .339 (38-for-112) with five homers off Burt Hooton… Was just 18-for-97 (.186) with 26 K’s off Tom Seaver.
Trivia: Who holds the Astros career record for triples?
Answer: Jose Cruz
All-Star Selections
1980 NL
1985 NL
Replaced
Jose Cardenal
Replaced By
Billy Hatcher
Best Strength as a Player
Hitting to all fields, and speed.
Largest Weakness as a Player
Early in his career, and into his first 2-3 seasons with the Astros, Cruz was criticized for mistakes he made in the outfield. His range was always decent, if not great, but he would occasionally bobble a ball or miss a cutoff man. He made himself, through hard work, into a very good outfielder, however.
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