Baseball Guru
01-28-2003, 03:57 PM
By John Schlegel / MLB.com
With yet another foray into the free agent market, the defending National League champion Giants continued to reinvent themselves for 2003 by signing outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. on Tuesday.
Billed by the Giants as a move to fill their vacant right field spot, the club agreed with the 28-year-old switch-hitter to a one-year deal with a mutual option for a second year. Financial terms were not disclosed.
"It's been no secret that we've admired Jose's ability for the last few years," Giants general manager Brian Sabean said. "We're extremely excited to add a player of his caliber, who can hit for power and steal a base while playing outstanding defense."
Along with Cruz, the Giants also have acquired infielder Edgardo Alfonzo, second baseman/outfielder Ray Durham and veteran outfielder Marquis Grissom via free agency this winter. Having lost top contributors like Jeff Kent, David Bell and Reggie Sanders from their World Series team, the Giants brass has taken on the task of reworking the lineup around superstar Barry Bonds.
Cruz, a seven-year Major League veteran, fits in well with the retooling project. Although an ankle injury hampered his 2002 performance, Cruz brings a combination of power and speed to a lineup perhaps built more to manufacture runs than in years past.
Cruz is one of just two Blue Jays ever to post a 30-home run, 30-stolen base season in franchise history. He accomplished the feat in 2001, when he hit 34 home runs and stole 32 bases for Toronto. The switch-hitter owns a .251 lifetime batting average with 424 runs, 148 doubles, 31 triples, 134 home runs, 389 RBIs and 86 stolen bases in 747 career big league contests.
Originally drafted as the third overall pick in the 1995 draft by Seattle, Cruz hit .245 with 64 runs, 26 doubles, five triples, 18 home runs, 70 RBIs and seven stolen bases for Toronto in 2002.
The son of former Houston Astros All-Star Jose Cruz, he started 118 games for the Blue Jays last season, including 52 in left field, 46 in right field and 20 in center field. Despite being limited to 124 games after spraining his left ankle, Cruz registered nine outfield assists and posted a .992 fielding percentage (two errors, 266 total chances) in 2002.
Cruz finished second in 1997 AL Rookie of the Year balloting to Nomar Garciaparra.
The Rice University product will be appearing for his third Major League team after debuting with Seattle in 1997. He was traded to Toronto on July 31, 1997 for Mike Timlin and Paul Spoljaric.
Cruz finishes his Blue Jays career ranking among the franchise's top 10 in three different categories. He ranks eighth in club history with 122 home runs, is tied for ninth with Alex Gonzalez with 85 stolen bases and sits in eighth place with a .462 slugging percentage (minimum of 2,000 plate appearances).
With yet another foray into the free agent market, the defending National League champion Giants continued to reinvent themselves for 2003 by signing outfielder Jose Cruz Jr. on Tuesday.
Billed by the Giants as a move to fill their vacant right field spot, the club agreed with the 28-year-old switch-hitter to a one-year deal with a mutual option for a second year. Financial terms were not disclosed.
"It's been no secret that we've admired Jose's ability for the last few years," Giants general manager Brian Sabean said. "We're extremely excited to add a player of his caliber, who can hit for power and steal a base while playing outstanding defense."
Along with Cruz, the Giants also have acquired infielder Edgardo Alfonzo, second baseman/outfielder Ray Durham and veteran outfielder Marquis Grissom via free agency this winter. Having lost top contributors like Jeff Kent, David Bell and Reggie Sanders from their World Series team, the Giants brass has taken on the task of reworking the lineup around superstar Barry Bonds.
Cruz, a seven-year Major League veteran, fits in well with the retooling project. Although an ankle injury hampered his 2002 performance, Cruz brings a combination of power and speed to a lineup perhaps built more to manufacture runs than in years past.
Cruz is one of just two Blue Jays ever to post a 30-home run, 30-stolen base season in franchise history. He accomplished the feat in 2001, when he hit 34 home runs and stole 32 bases for Toronto. The switch-hitter owns a .251 lifetime batting average with 424 runs, 148 doubles, 31 triples, 134 home runs, 389 RBIs and 86 stolen bases in 747 career big league contests.
Originally drafted as the third overall pick in the 1995 draft by Seattle, Cruz hit .245 with 64 runs, 26 doubles, five triples, 18 home runs, 70 RBIs and seven stolen bases for Toronto in 2002.
The son of former Houston Astros All-Star Jose Cruz, he started 118 games for the Blue Jays last season, including 52 in left field, 46 in right field and 20 in center field. Despite being limited to 124 games after spraining his left ankle, Cruz registered nine outfield assists and posted a .992 fielding percentage (two errors, 266 total chances) in 2002.
Cruz finished second in 1997 AL Rookie of the Year balloting to Nomar Garciaparra.
The Rice University product will be appearing for his third Major League team after debuting with Seattle in 1997. He was traded to Toronto on July 31, 1997 for Mike Timlin and Paul Spoljaric.
Cruz finishes his Blue Jays career ranking among the franchise's top 10 in three different categories. He ranks eighth in club history with 122 home runs, is tied for ninth with Alex Gonzalez with 85 stolen bases and sits in eighth place with a .462 slugging percentage (minimum of 2,000 plate appearances).