After graduation from Bellaire, Cruz enrolled at Rice University and played baseball for the Owls, starting for three seasons prior to being selected in the first round of the 1995 draft.

The Seattle Mariners selected Cruz in the first round of the 1995 Major League Baseball draft.

He played 12 years as an outfielder in MLB, with Seattle in 1997, the Toronto Blue Jays from 1997 to 2002, the San Francisco Giants in 2003, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 2004, the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2005, the Boston Red Sox in 2005, the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2005 to 2006, the San Diego Padres in 2007 and the Houston Astros in 2008.

Cruz was a first round pick, 3rd overall, for the Seattle Mariners in the 1995 amateur draft and began his major league career on May 31, 1997.

He was not in Seattle very long and was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Paul Spoljaric and Mike Timlin on July 31, 1997.

In San Francisco, he won a Gold Glove and broke Willie Mays' franchise single-season record for outfield assists with 19.

In 2005, Cruz Jr. played for three teams, the Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox and finally the Los Angeles Dodgers.

In the tournament, Cruz hit .353 with a .476 on-base percentage in five games helping Puerto Rico reach the second round.