Jose Cruz, baseball player, 165 home runs, 1970-1988

Jose Cruz

Born: 8/8/1947 in Arroyo, P.R.

MLB Debut: 1970-09-19 | Final Game: 1988-07-19

Bats: L | Throws: L | Height: 6'0" | Weight: 170 lbs

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Biography

José Cruz was a prominent professional baseball player whose career spanned from 1970 until 1988. Born in 1947, Cruz established himself as a key position player in Major League Baseball, showcasing his talents primarily as an outfielder. Over his 18-year career, he played in 2,353 games and recorded a notable 2,251 hits. His offensive prowess was highlighted by a career batting average of .284, along with 165 home runs and 1,077 RBIs. Cruz also demonstrated remarkable speed on the bases, stealing 317 bases throughout his career, which added another dimension to his playing style. Cruz was selected as an All-Star twice, underscoring his impact during an era characterized by fierce competition and evolving playing styles. His ability to consistently perform at a high level helped him to become a respected figure in the game. Beyond his individual achievements, Cruz's contributions to his teams were significant, as he played a vital role in both offensive and defensive strategies. His legacy in baseball is marked not only by his impressive statistics but also by his influence on future generations of players.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2353 7917 1036 2251 391 94 165 1077 317 898 1031 0.284 0.354 0.420 0.774 15030.6

Career AVG .284 vs. league average .258 across their career seasons — +10.3% above league average.

Career OBP .354 vs. league average .324 across their career seasons — +9.5% above league average.

Career SLG .420 vs. league average .383 across their career seasons — +9.7% above league average.

Career OPS 0.774 vs. league average 0.707 across their career seasons — +9.6% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1970 STL NL 6 17 2 6 1 0 0 1 0 4 0 0.353 — — — — 0.0
1971 STL NL 83 292 46 80 13 2 9 27 6 49 35 0.274 .249 (+10%) .316 (+19%) .365 (+16%) .682 (+18%) 1029.7
1972 STL NL 117 332 33 78 14 4 2 23 9 36 54 0.235 .243 (-4%) .310 (avg) .353 (-10%) .664 (-5%) -306.2
1973 STL NL 132 406 51 92 22 5 10 57 10 51 66 0.227 .256 (-12%) .325 (-5%) .378 (avg) .703 (-2%) -248.6
1974 STL NL 107 161 24 42 4 3 5 20 4 20 27 0.261 .256 (+2%) .324 (+5%) .369 (+13%) .693 (+9%) 271.6
1975 HOU NL 120 315 44 81 15 2 9 49 6 52 44 0.257 .257 (avg) .327 (+9%) .374 (+8%) .701 (+9%) 594.4
1976 HOU NL 133 439 49 133 21 5 4 61 28 53 46 0.303 .255 (+19%) .320 (+18%) .360 (+11%) .681 (+14%) 1298.3
1977 HOU NL 157 579 87 173 31 10 17 87 44 69 67 0.299 .264 (+13%) .329 (+12%) .401 (+18%) .730 (+15%) 1811.0
1978 HOU NL 153 565 79 178 34 9 10 83 37 57 57 0.315 .257 (+22%) .323 (+16%) .378 (+22%) .702 (+19%) 2145.2
1979 HOU NL 157 558 73 161 33 7 9 72 36 72 66 0.289 .265 (+9%) .329 (+11%) .397 (+6%) .727 (+8%) 1075.2
1980 HOU NL 160 612 79 185 29 7 11 91 36 60 66 0.302 .264 (+14%) .326 (+10%) .387 (+10%) .714 (+10%) 1280.9
1981 HOU NL 107 409 53 109 16 5 13 55 5 35 49 0.267 .255 (+4%) .320 (avg) .368 (+15%) .688 (+8%) 481.0
1982 HOU NL 155 570 62 157 27 2 9 68 21 60 67 0.275 .261 (+5%) .324 (+6%) .388 (-3%) .712 (+1%) 202.9
1983 HOU NL 160 594 85 189 28 8 14 92 30 65 86 0.318 .260 (+22%) .324 (+18%) .389 (+19%) .714 (+19%) 2376.0
1984 HOU NL 160 600 96 187 28 13 12 95 22 73 68 0.312 .259 (+20%) .322 (+18%) .384 (+20%) .707 (+19%) 2350.0
1985 HOU NL 141 544 69 163 34 4 9 79 16 43 74 0.300 .257 (+17%) .323 (+8%) .390 (+9%) .714 (+9%) 891.5
1986 HOU NL 141 479 48 133 22 4 10 72 3 55 86 0.278 .257 (+8%) .325 (+8%) .395 (+2%) .720 (+5%) 518.0
1987 HOU NL 126 365 47 88 17 4 11 38 4 36 65 0.241 .262 (-8%) .331 (-7%) .415 (-4%) .746 (-5%) -452.9
1988 NYY AL 38 80 9 16 2 0 1 7 0 8 8 0.200 .254 (-21%) .317 (-14%) .377 (-31%) .695 (-23%) -287.4

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
16 61 3 17 2 1 0 6 10 12 0.279

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1986 NLCS HOU 6 26 0 5 0 0 0 2 1 8 0.192
1981 NWDIV HOU 5 20 0 6 1 0 0 0 1 3 0.300
1980 NLCS HOU 5 15 3 6 1 1 0 4 8 1 0.400

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 3 3 22 1 0 3
OF 2156 2054 4391 125 120 28

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1970 SLN OF 4 4 16 0 0 0
1971 SLN OF 83 80 197 2 5 1
1972 SLN OF 102 89 220 9 5 5
1973 SLN OF 118 110 276 2 6 1
1974 SLN 1B 1 1 5 0 0 2
1974 SLN OF 53 25 76 2 2 1
1975 HOU OF 94 80 187 6 4 0
1976 HOU OF 125 114 265 10 8 4
1977 HOU OF 155 151 311 11 9 1
1978 HOU 1B 2 2 17 1 0 1
1978 HOU OF 152 149 311 4 8 0
1979 HOU OF 156 156 320 7 14 0
1980 HOU OF 158 158 323 16 11 1
1981 HOU OF 105 105 237 5 4 2
1982 HOU OF 155 153 340 9 13 3
1983 HOU OF 160 158 322 9 7 1
1984 HOU OF 160 159 310 11 8 1
1985 HOU OF 137 137 257 12 8 3
1986 HOU OF 134 131 237 5 4 1
1987 HOU OF 97 89 178 5 3 3
1988 NYA OF 8 6 8 0 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 3
Left Field 1407
Center Field 277
Right Field 495
Designated Hitter 12

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
1987 Player of the Week Week of 1987-04-10
1984 Player of the Month July
1984 Player of the Week Week of 1984-06-29
1984 Silver Slugger OF
1984 TSN All-Star OF
1983 Silver Slugger OF
1978 Player of the Week Week of 1978-09-09

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
1988 NYA AL $350,000
1987 HOU NL $755,000
1986 HOU NL $755,000
1985 HOU NL $796,383
Total Career Earnings $2,656,383

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1985 Most Valuable Player NL 21th 2.0 336 0
1984 Most Valuable Player NL 8th 53.0 336 0
1983 Most Valuable Player NL 6th 76.0 336 0
1981 Most Valuable Player NL 14th 25.0 336 0
1980 Most Valuable Player NL 3rd 166.0 336 0