Houston Astros: Top 30 players in franchise history

5. Jose Cruz, OF, 1975 – 1987

Jose Cruz broke into the league with the St. Louis Cardinals and played the first five years of his career there. However, he never really took off as a Cardinal and the Houston Astros purchased his contract during the offseason prior to the 1975 season.

Cruz’s numbers don’t exactly jump off the page at first glance but his story as an MLB player isn’t anywhere close to being painted fully by them. Cruz had an exact and precise bat. He took full advantage of the cavernous Astrodome. He could hit to all parts of the field and knew how to leg out infield hits off of the carpet.

Cruz also had wheels to spare. He stole over 300 bases in his career and hit nearly 100 triples as well. Cruz was a capable defender in an outfield that needed his speed. He cemented his Astros legacy by coaching first base for the better part of a decade.

Cheo, as he was affectionately called, was never flashy or a star but he aged wonderfully. His best seasons, by far, came from his age 32 season and beyond. He never appeared on an MVP ballot before that year but after that, he appeared on ballots five times.