Tigers draft player whose family has long history in Major League Baseball
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Detroit Tigers selected Trei Cruz on the second day of the MLB Draft on Thursday night, ushering in the next generation of professional baseball players for that family.
Cruz played third base and shortstop while at Rice. He was hitting .328 with eight RBI in 16 games before the coronavirus pandemic shut the Owls’ season down.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}What’s even more remarkable about Cruz is that he comes from a long line of professional baseball players.
Cruz’s father, Jose Cruz Jr., was an outfielder in the majors for 12 years. He played for the Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Houston Astros from 1997 to 2008. He won one Gold Glove in his career.
Cruz’s grandfather, Jose Cruz, was also an outfielder. He played 19 years in the majors for the St. Louis Cardinals, Astros and New York Yankees from 1970 to 1988. He was a two-time All-Star and a two-time Silver Slugger.
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Jose Cruz Sr.’s brothers, Hector and Tommy, were also major league baseball players. Hector Cruz played nine seasons in the majors. Tommy Cruz was in The Show for three games in 1973 and four games in 1977.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Trei Cruz will now have a chance to continue the Cruz legacy in the majors.