KFDM COOP Posted November 29, 2007 Report Posted November 29, 2007 Astros sign Cruz Jr. to minor league contractThree others sign minor league dealsJose Cruz Jr., the son of former Astros left fielder and current first base coach Jose Cruz, was signed to a minor league contract by the Astros today with an invitation to major league spring training. Cruz, a former standout at Bellaire High School and Rice University, hit .234 with six homers and 21 RBIs in 91 games this year with San Diego and played all three outfield positions. In his 11 years in the majors, he’s played for Seattle, Toronto, San Francisco, Tampa Bay, Arizona, Boston and the Los Angeles Dodgers. “When I took the job and went downstairs to say hello to ‘Cheo,’ one of the first things he asked is ‘What are the chances of getting my son to come play here?’†Astros general manager Ed Wade said. “I said we’ll look into itk and we were able to get something done in a Triple-A deal and give him a chance to earn a job with our club. We’ll add him to the mix. “There were different points in the time in the course of Jose Jr.’s career he was viewed as one of the top outfielders in the game and in high demand. He’s a veteran with some experience and a little bit of age on him, but he’s still the type of guy that in the right setting can contribute. We’ll give him every opportunity to make the club out of spring training.†The Astros also signed infielders Kevin Hooper and Tomas Perez and lefthander Stephen Randolph to minor-league deals with spring training invites. Cruz, Jr., 33, is a career .248 hitter with 204 home runs, 623 RBIs, and 113 stolen bases. He is one of 18 active outfielders to record at least 200 career home runs and 100 stolen bases in his career. Hooper, 30, played in 60 games with Class AAA Toledo this year and hit .301 with one home run and 19 RBIs. He appeared in 52 games at second base and eight games at shortstop. Hooper played in 14 games with Detroit from 2005-06, hitting .125 in only eight at-bats. Perez, 33, split last season between Class AAA Las Vegas and Class AAA Charlotte and combined to hit .254 with six home runs and 56 RBIs. Following a midseason trade from the Dodgers to the White Sox, Perez appeared in 88 games at Charlotte, serving as the club’s primary shortstop. Perez, an 11-year major league veteran and switch-hitter, owns a .240 career average with 24 home runs and 180 RBIs in 781 games with Toronto (1995-98), Philadelphia (2000-05) and Tampa Bay (2006). Randolph, 33, made 14 appearances for the Astros last season, finishing 0-1 with a 12.15 ERA. He was 10-2 record with four saves and a 1.90 ERA in 31 games at Class AAA Round Rock. In three Major League seasons with Arizona (2003-04) and Houston (2007), Randolph is 10-7 with a 5.52 ERA. [email protected]
AJ25 Posted December 3, 2007 Report Posted December 3, 2007 he'll make the team out of spring training. and he should get a good bit of playing time too..
Guest Orangeboy Posted December 3, 2007 Report Posted December 3, 2007 Jose CRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZZ Jr.!!!! ;D
Guest coachhooker Posted December 6, 2007 Report Posted December 6, 2007 I am alittle surprised it took this long for him to come home
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