Nelson Cruz

[William Malone]

Nelson Ramon Cruz was born on July 1, 1980 in the Dominican Republic.

The New York Mets signed him as an amateur free agent in 1998. He was traded twice as a prospect, and made his Major League debut in 2005 with the Milwaukee Brewers. Cruz was traded a third time that off-season, landing with the Texas Rangers.

He played sparingly for the Rangers through 2008, but finally broke out as their starting right fielder at age 28 in 2009. Cruz hit 33 home runs that season, and was named an All-Star for the first time. He helped Texas win back-to-back American League pennants in 2010 and 2011, earning 2010 ALCS MVP honors. His time with the Rangers unceremoniously ended with a 50 game steroid suspension late in the 2013 season.

The Baltimore Orioles signed Cruz, and he led the American League with 40 home runs in 2014. Cruz signed a four year deal with the Seattle Mariners, hitting 163 home runs and winning two Silver Slugger awards over the course of that contract.

His career brought him to the Minnesota Twins in 2019, where Cruz led one of the most prolific slugging offenses in Major League history. The Twins launched an MLB record 307 home runs in 2019, with Cruz hitting a team high 41. His 1.031 OPS was a career high. He finished ninth place in AL MVP voting, and won his third career Silver Slugger.

Cruz was equally as dominant in the COVID shortened 2020 season. His .992 OPS was a bit lower, but his 171 OPS+ was higher than 2019 (168). He led the American League with five intentional walks, and won his second consecutive Silver Slugger. Cruz made his seventh All-Star team in 2021, but was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays at the deadline.

His skills began to quickly deteriorate after the trade. Cruz hit just .226 in 55 games for the Rays, going 3-for-17 (.176) in their ALDS loss against the Boston Red Sox. He had a poor season with the Washington Nationals in 2022, and was even worse for the San Diego Padres in 2023. Cruz retired during spring training in 2024 after going unsigned in the off-season.

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