José Cruz

Playing career

Cruz signed with the St. Louis Cardinals after graduating from Arroyo High School in 1966. He entered the majors as a September call-up in 1970, appearing in six games and collecting six hits. The following year he started on Opening Day as the center fielder but slumped below .200 for the entire month of June, finishing with a .235 average, 23 RBIs, and 78 hits. In 1973 he played 132 games, posting a .227/.310/.379 line with 92 hits and 57 RBIs; that season all three Cruz brothers played for the Cardinals.

His final year with St. Louis was 1974: on July 21 he hit the only inside-the-park home run of his career, a solo shot against the Houston Astros that scored Bob Forsch. He batted .261/.341/.416 in 107 games. Sold to the Astros on October 24, he debuted for them as the starting right fielder on Opening Day 1975, going 3-for-4 with a three-run home run in a 5–2 win. In 120 games he hit .257/.358/.403 with 81 hits, 52 walks, and 44 strikeouts.

By 1976 he had secured the left field spot and set career highs with a .303 average, 133 hits, 61 RBIs, 28 stolen bases, and 53 walks in 496 plate appearances.

Post-playing career

The Astros retired Jose Cruz's number 25 alongside Mike Scott's number 33 in a pre-game ceremony at the Astrodome on October 3, 1992. In 1999, he was chosen by experts as one of three outfielders for the All-Astrodome team. He entered the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame in 2003. After his playing days, Cruz managed in the Texas-Louisiana League and the Puerto Rican Winter League. He later served as the Astros' first base coach from 1997 to 2009, then spent five years as a special assistant to the general manager before becoming a Community Outreach Executive. In 2005, he agreed to coach for Puerto Rico in the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Cruz was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame during a pre-game ceremony at Minute Maid Park on September 13, 2002, and into the inaugural class of the Astros Hall of Fame in August 2019.