calkins's Blog

Shaking and stirring while always recommending Brenner’s for your greater dining pleasure.     

Ask for David.  Enjoy with a discerning friend.  Or an attractive stranger. 

Right around this time 13 years ago Junior Cruz was enjoying one of the great moments of his baseball life.  The Mariners had just taken him third overall in the 1995 draft and both were no doubt charting a multi-All-Star sort of career for the All-American from Rice.   

Cruz was drafted behind only Darin Erstad and Ben Davis, and ahead of the likes of Kerry Wood and Todd Helton, Geoff Jenkins and Roy Halladay, a high school flame-thrower from Kingwood (Andy Yount) and one-time hotshot quarterback at UT (Shea Morenz).  

Now Cruz’s major league days are likely done at age 34, released by his hometown Astros.  He was hitting a shade over .100 with one RBI and only one extra base hit in 49 at-bats and 38 games as the fifth outfielder.  

Cruz told Mark Berman in an only-on-Fox interview (click the sports tab here at MyFoxHouston) before his final exit from the Astros clubhouse there’s a good chance this was his last rodeo. 

“Maybe this is it for me.” 

Junior Cruz had earned the roster spot this spring training, not through his father’s seemingly lifelong connection to the club and tight friendship with manager Cecil Cooper, but through performance.  But that performance and production didn’t continue into the summer.  Limited chances come with the territory, so that’s no excuse.  Look what draft-mate Erstad has provided the Astros so far.  And a struggling team needing every single advantage and edge to maintain reasonable odds at contention made a necessary move.  

The 1995 draft day high-fives for the Cruz family no doubt seem like only last week, the same eyes-in-the-sky, sky-is-the-limit emotions flashed days ago by Second Baptist pitcher Ross Seaton and Conroe-ex Andrew Cashner. And so many more.  

And in a hiccup, the hardball for Cruz is over.  

Cruz was moved by the Mariners to Toronto just 49 games into his rookie season with Seattle.  He worked the Blue Jay way for 69 homers in back-to-back seasons 2000-01.  He would eventually be a part of eight other organizations in a 12-year nomadic journey through big boy baseball.  The career totals include 204 homers and 624 RBI.  Not quite what would have been expected and projected more a decade ago, but a more than respectable stay.  

Cruz and class always proved synonymous.  From Bellaire to Rice to living the big league dream.  From the best of the days to the final days.  And The Bloggorrhea extends nothing but the best to one of the best this city has seen rise from its ranks.