Astros sign four new players

The Houston Astros announced Wednesday that the club has signed four players to minor league contracts with invitations to Major League Spring Training: outfielder Jose Cruz, Jr., infielders Kevin Hooper and Tomas Perez, and left-handed pitcher Stephen Randolph.

The announcement was made by Astros General Manager Ed Wade.

Cruz, Jr., 33, hit .234 with six home runs and 21 RBI in 91 games with San Diego in 2007. He played all three outfield positions for the Padres last season, making the majority of his starts in left field.

In 11 Major League seasons with Seattle (1997), Toronto (1997-2002), San Francisco (2003), Tampa Bay (2004), Arizona (2005), Boston (2005), Los Angeles (NL) (2005-06) and San Diego (2007), Cruz, Jr. has hit .248 with 204 home runs, 623 RBI and 113 stolen bases. He is one of 18 active outfielders to record at least 200 career home runs and 100 stolen bases in his career.

A former standout at Rice University, Cruz, Jr. was the first-round selection of the Seattle Mariners in the 1995 June draft. Cruz, Jr. is the son of Astros first base coach and former Houston outfielder Jose Cruz, whose jersey No. 25 was retired by the club in 1992.

Hooper, 30, played in 60 games with Triple-A Toledo in 2007 and hit .301 with one home run and 19 RBI. He appeared in 52 games at second base and eight games at shortstop. Hooper played in 14 games with Detroit from 2005-06, logging a .125 big league average.

Perez, 33, split last season between Triple-A Las Vegas and Triple-A Charlotte and combined to hit .254 with six home runs and 56 RBI between the two clubs. Following a midseason trade from the Dodgers to the White Sox organization, Perez appeared in 88 games at Charlotte, serving as the club's primary shortstop.

Perez, an 11-year Major League veteran and switch-hitter, owns a .240 Major League average with 24 home runs and 180 RBI in 781 games with Toronto (1995-98), Philadelphia (2000-05) and Tampa Bay (2006).

The 33-year-old Randolph made 14 appearances for the Astros in 2007, finishing 0-1 with a 12.15 ERA (18ER/13.1IP). A non-roster invitee to Astros Spring Training in 2007, Randolph posted a 10-2 record with four saves and a 1.90 ERA (11ER/52IP) in 31 games at Triple-A Round Rock. In three Major League seasons with Arizona (2003-04) and Houston (2007), Randolph is 10-7 with a 5.52 ERA.