At the request of Reader Jim, I created this card to fill in the Cardinal roster set, and using a nice photo of Cruz manning third base, came up with a nice design that complements other St. Louis players from the collection.
Cruz only appeared in 23 games during the 1975 season, hitting .146 with seven hits in 48 at-bats.
He would go on to play a full season in ‘76, appearing in 151 games and hitting .228 with 120 hits over 526 at-bats with 13 homers and 71 runs batted in.
He would go on to play nine-years in the Majors, ending up with the Chicago Cubs in 1982 before calling it a career.
All told he hit .225 with 361 hits over 1607 at-bats in 624 lifetime games, with 39 homers and 200 RBI’s on the nose.
That 1976 season would easily be his best as a pro, never playing a full season again during his time in the big leagues.