Name: Julio Cruz
Rank: 32
Position: 2B
Years With White Sox: 1983-1986
Acquired by the White Sox on June 15, 1983 from the Mariners for counterpart Tony Bernazard, Julio Cruz gave the White Sox the spark they were looking for, helping the team go on a 72-31 run to finish the season and go from 6 1/2 games back to 20 games ahead. Cruz scored the winning run on a Harold Baines sacrifice fly against, of all teams, the Mariners on September 17, clinching the first division title in White Sox history. Cruz hit .333 during the ALCS against the Orioles, swiping 2 bases in the 4 game series.
In January of 1984, after nearly leaving to join the Angels, Cruz re-signed with the White Sox on a 6 year deal, thought to be worth between $3.6 to $4.8 million. Unfortunately, time, and injuries, were starting to take their toll. 1984 was the best year of the deal, and Cruz saw his average drop to .222 and he stole only 14 bases, a career low to date.
1985 saw the bottom fall out for Cruz. Dealing with a toe injury, he was limited to 91 games and he finished the year with a .197 average with only 8 stolen bases. 1986 was more of the same, as he managed to only get in to 81 games, swiping a mere 7 bases while hitting .215.
With Donnie Hill, Jerry Royster, and Fred Manrique in camp in 1987, things did not look good for Cruz. General Manager Larry Himes hoped that a deal could be made to find Cruz a new home, but nothing materialized and, on March 23, Cruz was told he was being released. He never played in the major leagues again.
Cruz’s numbers in a White Sox uniform, both for games I attended and overall, were:
