Jose Cruz

Outfielder · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1997-2008)

Jose Cruz was an outfielder who played in Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2008 for 9 teams, including the Seattle Mariners, a span of 12 seasons. In 1,388 career games, he hit .247 with 1,167 hits, 204 home runs, and 624 RBI. Jose Cruz was a Gold Glove. His career PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of offensive impact — is 2,879.

AVG (Batting Average):
Hits divided by at bats. .300 is the traditional mark of an excellent hitter.
HR (Home Runs):
Hits on which the batter circled the bases and scored, almost always by clearing the outfield fence.
RBI (Runs Batted In):
Runs that scored as a direct result of a batter's plate appearance.
OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging):
On-base percentage plus slugging percentage, the quickest single summary of offensive value. .900 or better is star-level.

Data updated

AVG .247
HR 204
RBI 624
H 1,167
OPS .783
PIV 2,879
Position
Outfielder
Bats / Throws
B / R
Height / Weight
6'0" / 190 lb
Born
4/19/1974 in Arroyo, P.R.
MLB Debut
1997-05-31
Last Game
2008-06-05
Awards
Gold Glove

Full name: Jose Luis Cruz

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Career Batting Statistics

Jose Cruz — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,388 4,724 713 1,167 252 36 204 624 113 658 1,147 .247 .337 .445 .783 2,879

Career AVG .247 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — 7.2% below league average.

Career OBP .337 vs. league average .336 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career SLG .445 vs. league average .424 across their career seasons — near league average.

Career OPS .783 vs. league average .760 across their career seasons — near league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Jose Cruz (b. 1974) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1997 SEA AL 49 183 28 49 12 1 12 34 1 13 45 .268 .266 (avg) .336 (-7%) .419 (+29%) .756 (+13%) 353.5
1997 TOR AL 55 212 31 49 7 0 14 34 6 28 72 .231 .266 (-13%) .336 (-6%) .419 (+10%) .756 (+3%) 353.5
1998 TOR AL 105 352 55 89 14 3 11 42 11 57 99 .253 .266 (-5%) .335 (+5%) .420 (-4%) .755 (avg) 109.3
1999 TOR AL 106 349 63 84 19 3 14 45 14 64 91 .241 .271 (-11%) .344 (+4%) .433 (avg) .778 (+2%) 221.0
2000 TOR AL 162 603 91 146 32 5 31 76 15 71 129 .242 .270 (-10%) .344 (-6%) .437 (+7%) .782 (+1%) -7.2
2001 TOR AL 146 577 92 158 38 4 34 88 32 45 138 .274 .263 (+4%) .332 (-2%) .426 (+24%) .758 (+13%) 1367.8
2002 TOR AL 124 466 64 114 26 5 18 70 7 51 106 .245 .261 (-6%) .331 (-4%) .416 (+5%) .747 (+1%) -9.2
2003 SFN NL 158 539 90 135 26 1 20 68 5 102 121 .250 .264 (-5%) .332 (+10%) .422 (-2%) .754 (+3%) 649.4
2004 TBA AL 153 545 76 132 25 8 21 78 11 76 117 .242 .266 (-9%) .335 (-1%) .427 (+1%) .762 (avg) 0.4
2005 ARI NL 64 202 23 43 9 0 12 28 0 42 54 .213 .264 (-20%) .330 (+5%) .418 (+4%) .749 (+4%) 248.1
2005 BOS AL 4 12 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 .250 — — — — 248.1
2005 LAN NL 47 156 23 47 14 2 6 22 0 23 43 .301 .264 (+14%) .330 (+18%) .418 (+27%) .749 (+23%) 248.1
2006 LAN NL 86 223 34 52 16 1 5 17 5 43 54 .233 .269 (-13%) .336 (+5%) .431 (-12%) .768 (-4%) -102.3
2007 SDN NL 91 256 37 60 12 3 6 21 6 31 65 .234 .268 (-13%) .335 (-6%) .422 (-11%) .758 (-9%) -372.6
2008 HOU NL 38 49 6 6 1 0 0 1 0 11 9 .122 — — — — -319.9
Career · 15 seasons 1,388 4,724 713 1,167 252 36 204 624 113 658 1,147 .247 — — — — 2,988

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Jose Cruz — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
4 11 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 4 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Jose Cruz — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2003 NLDS1 SFN 4 11 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 4 .000

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (1388 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Jose Cruz — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home7082348368603102340.257
Away6802376345564102284.237

Last 10 Games — Batting

Jose Cruz — Last 10 Games — Batting
DateTmOppResABRH2B3BHRRBIBBSO
2008-06-05 HOUPITL 400000000
2008-06-03 HOUPITW 101000000
2008-06-01 HOUMILL 100000001
2008-05-30 HOUMILL 100000000
2008-05-27 HOUSTLW 100000001
2008-05-19 HOUCHCL 000000010
2008-05-15 HOUSFGW 100000000
2008-05-14 HOUSFGW 010000010
2008-05-13 HOUSFGL 100000000
2008-05-12 HOUSFGW 312000110

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Jose Cruz — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
OF 1312 1239 2800 80 40 17

Season-by-Season Fielding

Jose Cruz — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1997 SEA OF 49 47 83 1 3 0
1997 TOR OF 55 55 98 3 2 1
1998 TOR OF 105 96 247 7 4 1
1999 TOR OF 106 96 277 8 3 2
2000 TOR OF 162 162 405 9 3 1
2001 TOR OF 143 141 286 5 3 1
2002 TOR OF 119 118 255 9 2 2
2003 SFN OF 158 152 340 18 2 7
2004 TBA OF 152 148 315 10 10 0
2005 ARI OF 58 57 98 2 2 0
2005 BOS OF 4 4 2 0 0 0
2005 LAN OF 45 42 100 3 5 0
2006 LAN OF 71 54 129 0 0 0
2007 SDN OF 70 60 147 5 1 2
2008 HOU OF 15 7 18 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Jose Cruz (b. 1974) Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Left Field 288
Center Field 600
Right Field 460
Designated Hitter 3

Awards & Honors

Jose Cruz — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
2004 Player of the Week Week of 2004-05-22
2003 Gold Glove OF
2001 Player of the Week Week of 2001-10-06
2000 Player of the Week Week of 2000-05-06

Salary History

Jose Cruz's recorded salaries total $20,780,000 over 12 seasons, 1997 to 2008. Cruz's career, 1997 to 2008, falls within 1985 to 2016, the years the salary data covers.

Jose Cruz — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
2008 HOU NL $650,000
2007 SDN NL $650,000
2006 LAN NL $2,910,000
2005 ARI NL $4,000,000
2004 TBA AL $2,500,000
2003 SFN NL $2,500,000
2002 TOR AL $3,950,000
2001 TOR AL $2,350,000
2000 TOR AL $395,000
1999 TOR AL $400,000
1998 TOR AL $325,000
1997 TOR AL $150,000
Total recorded salary $20,780,000

College History

Jose Cruz — College History
School Name City State Years Attended
Rice University Houston TX 1993, 1994, 1995

Award Voting History

Jose Cruz — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1997 Rookie of the Year AL 2nd 61.0 140 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Jose Cruz (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Ian Happ
    .243 avg, 197 HR
  2. 95
    Jesse Barfield
    .256 avg, 241 HR
  3. 90
    Joc Pederson
    .236 avg, 244 HR
  4. 89
    Michael Conforto
    .245 avg, 194 HR
  5. 88
    Tommy Pham
    .255 avg, 150 HR
  6. 84
    Wil Myers
    .252 avg, 156 HR

Compare Jose Cruz

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Cruz's closest peers by position and era.

vs Jose Cruz Sr.

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Jose Cruz: the record in brief

May 31, 1997 and June 5, 2008 bracket Jose Cruz's time in the majors: the debut and the last game on record. By club, Cruz's seasons break down as the Seattle Mariners (1997), the Toronto Blue Jays (1997 through 2002), the San Francisco Giants (2003), the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2004), the Arizona Diamondbacks (2005), the Boston Red Sox (2005), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2005 to 2006), and the San Diego Padres (2007), among other clubs in the table. At 190 pounds on a 6-foot-0 frame, Cruz is listed as an outfielder. The bio says Cruz batted from both sides and threw right-handed. The recorded birth is April 19, 1974, in Arroyo, P.R. Jose Cruz was the playing name; the full given name is Jose Luis.

The batting record for Cruz: 1,388 games, 1,167 hits in 4,724 at bats, and a .247 average, plus 204 homers, 624 runs batted in, and 113 stolen bases. Cruz got on base at a .337 rate and slugged .445 (.783 OPS).

Frequently Asked Questions about Jose Cruz

What years did Jose Cruz play?
Jose Cruz played in Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2008.
Was Jose Cruz a pitcher?
No. Jose Cruz was a position player (Outfielder).
How many home runs did Jose Cruz hit?
Jose Cruz hit 204 career home runs with 1,167 hits.
What teams did Jose Cruz play for?
Jose Cruz played for 9 teams: the Seattle Mariners (1997), the Toronto Blue Jays (1997–2002), the San Francisco Giants (2003), the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2004), the Arizona Diamondbacks (2005), the Boston Red Sox (2005), the Los Angeles Dodgers (2005–2006), the San Diego Padres (2007), and the Houston Astros (2008).
What awards did Jose Cruz win?
Jose Cruz won the Gold Glove (2003).
What were Jose Cruz's career stats?
In 1,388 games, Jose Cruz had 1,167 hits, 204 home runs, 624 RBI, 713 runs, and 113 stolen bases, with a .247 batting average.
How much did Jose Cruz earn in his career?
Jose Cruz's recorded salaries total $20,780,000 over 12 seasons, 1997 to 2008. Cruz's career, 1997 to 2008, falls within 1985 to 2016, the years the salary data covers.
What was Jose Cruz's salary?
Jose Cruz's last recorded salary was $650,000, in 2008. His highest recorded salary was $4,000,000, in 2005, and his lowest was $150,000, in 1997. The Salary History table lists each season from 1997 to 2008.
What position did Jose Cruz play?
Jose Cruz played primarily as an outfielder, the position where he appeared in the most games.
How tall was Jose Cruz and how much did he weigh?
Jose Cruz was listed at 6 feet and 190 pounds.
How many home runs did Jose Cruz hit each season?
Jose Cruz's home runs by season: 26 in 1997, 11 in 1998, 14 in 1999, 31 in 2000, 34 in 2001, 18 in 2002, 20 in 2003, 21 in 2004, 18 in 2005, 5 in 2006, 6 in 2007, and 0 in 2008. His most in one season was 34, in 2001.
What was Jose Cruz's career batting average?
Jose Cruz batted .247 over his career, with 1,167 hits in 4,724 at bats.
How many RBI did Jose Cruz have?
Jose Cruz drove in 624 runs in his career.
Is Jose Cruz in the Hall of Fame?
No. Jose Cruz has not been inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.