Marveling at Nelson Cruz’s First 162 Games With the Twins

[Tom Froemming]

Nelson Cruz has now played 162 games with the Minnesota Twins. Even in an era in which almost no one plays that many games in a season, even in a year in which the season isn’t nearly that long, it still feels worthwhile to look back and appreciate just how good Cruz has been over this timeframe.It was officially announced in early January 2019 that the Twins signed Cruz to a one-year $14 million deal with a $12 million option for a second season. The buyout amount for that option was a measly (in baseball terms) $300K. Cruz was coming off a productive four-year stretch in Seattle, but was also entering his age 38 season.

 

The Boomstick has not only continued to produce, he’s been better than ever.

 

The second leg of Tuesday’s doubleheader in St. Louis marked the 162nd game Cruz has played for the Twins. Here’s a look at the numbers he’s produced over that time and where he ranks among the MLB leaders since the start of last season.

 

 

Nelson Cruz won’t be blasting bombas for the Twins forever, so appreciate him while you can. Cruz is beating the odds every day he steps on the field — not many 40-year-olds do this kind of damage — but he’s also in the final year of his contract with the Twins.

 

What’s next for Nelson? I think it’s safe to assume he’s enjoyed his time in Minnesota, and that the feeling is mutual, but he’ll have no shortage of options the way he’s playing. If the universal DH carries into 2021, that’ll be especially true.

 

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[Trov]

There will be a lot of suitors for him next year if DH is across the board.  However, I think he has been happy here and Twins will try to keep him.  I think it would take a strong push from a team that is similarly set to win now to get him to move on to them.  He is not from U.S. so no I always wanted to play for home town team at end of career like some U.S. born guys do.  I bet he is back with Twins unless some other team just pays a ton for him and Twins not willing to match. 

[4twinsJA]

Signing Cruz was huge. His offensive contribution is obvious, I think his influence on his teammates is equally important.

[Joey P]

I would say he is essential to our future success. If not the top, he needs to be near the top for our offseason signing process. 

[MNT1996]

I hope the Twins can keep him around even after he's done playing. His presence means a lot to this team, especially as a mentor to the younger hitters.

[T_J]

With the uncertainty of the upcoming off-season, let's hope a qualified offer is enough to keep him here. It'll be a raise for him and he's obviously worth the money to the Twins.

[PopRiveter]

My Land, those numbers are serious. Can we sign him to a cloning rights contract?

 

I really like this video format, Tom. Fun watch!

[Tom Froemming]

 

My Land, those numbers are serious. Can we sign him to a cloning rights contract?

 

I really like this video format, Tom. Fun watch!

Thank you!

[TwinsFan268]

I honestly think he'll be hitting 400-foot home runs when he's 93. Seriously though.

[twinfan]

Cruz is the league's MVP this year. It might have been Judge but he's out. Trout is the best player but not in my definition of most valuable.