Cheíto Cruz returns to Rice University to lead the baseball team

The Detroit Tigers’ assistant hitting coach in the Major Leagues, Puerto Rican José ‘Cheíto’ Cruz, was appointed on Wednesday as the new leader of the Rice University ninth, as reported Baseball America.

Fox 26 Houston confirmed the information that the popular former player of said university, and whose son Trei Cruz also studied there, would be named as the next leader of the baseball program of the university located in Houston, Texas, a city in which José ‘Cheo’ Cruz, his father played 13 seasons with the Astros.

“It is an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to return home to Rice, a place that has given so much to me and my family over the years,” Cruz said in a statement. “Wayne Graham convinced me by talking about what Rice could be and he was right. Now it’s up to me and my team to get Rice baseball back to the position we fought so hard to get. “

Tigers manager AJ Hinch confirmed to Detroit Free Press that Cruz Jr. had been in talks with officials at the university where he studied between 1992 and 1995, and where he won three All-American selections as an outfielder.

Cruz Jr. retired in 2008 and was hired by the Tigers last December, in his first stint as a coach. He also worked as part of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) and as a commentator.