José Cruz Marquee

He played thirteen seasons in Houston and is fourth in the club's history in hits, behind Craig Biggio, José Altuve and Jeff Bagwell. Nineteen seasons in all gave him 2,251 hits, 391 doubles, 94 triples, 317 stolen bases, 1,077 runs batted in and a .284 average, with two Silver Sluggers.

The Astrodome is the fact underneath the record: he hit .284 overall and considerably better on the road for most of his career, and 165 home runs in nineteen years is not what a hitter of that quality produces anywhere else. He led the National League with 189 hits in 1983, at thirty-five, and finished third in the Most Valuable Player voting in 1980.

He is Puerto Rican and one of three brothers who reached the major leagues; his son José Jr. played twelve seasons. Houston retired his number in 1992. The 1994 ballot gave him two votes of 456.