Nelson Cruz, Right Field, San Diego Paddres

Date of Birth: 7/1/1980
Birthplace: Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic

Nelson Cruz, right fielder for the San Diego Padres, was originally signed by the New York Mets in 1998 but he never played for them. Instead, he played for three years in the Dominican Summer League. The Mets traded him to the Oakland Athletics on August 30, 2000. He then played from 2001 through 2003 in Oakland's minor league system.

The Athletics traded Cruz to the Milwaukee Brewers in December, 2004. He continued to play in the minor leagues, playing in just 8 games with the Brewers in 2005. In July, 2006, the Brewers traded him to the Texas Rangers. He continued to play primarily in the minor leagues until 2007, when he played in 96 games with the Rangers. The following season, he was back in the minors, playing in just 31 games with the Rangers in 2008.

In 2009, his first full season in the major leagues, Cruz batted .260 with career highs in home runs with 33 and stolen bases with 20. His best season came two years later, in 2011. That year, he batted .263 with 125 hits, 28 doubles, 29 home runs, and 87 RBIs in 124 games. He followed the regular season with an outstanding post-season that earned him the American League Championship Series MVP award. In the 2011 post-season, he set major league baseball records for the most home runs and the most RBIs in one series. He had 14 hits, 8 home runs, and 16 RBIs in 17 post-season games.

Cruz missed 50 games of the 2013 season due to a suspension for his involvement with banned substances through the Biogenesis clinic. In 109 games, he batted .266 with 110 hits, 18 doubles, 27 home runs, and 76 RBIs.

In February, 2014, Cruz signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles. He led major league baseball in home runs in 2014. He finished the season with career highs in hits (166), home runs (40), and RBIs (108) and he had a .271 batting average in 159 games. In the postseason, he had 10 hits, 1 double, 2 home runs, 7 RBIs, and a .357 batting average in 28 at-bats in 7 games.

On December 4, 2014, Cruz signed a four-year, $57 million contract with the Seattle Mariners. He had a strong 2015 season, finishing with a career high 178 hits, 22 doubles, a career high 44 home runs, 93 RBIs, and a .302 batting average in 152 games. He played 80 games in right field and he made 151 putouts and 4 errors.

Cruz won his first Silver Slugger award in 2015.

Cruz batted .287 in 155 games with the Mariners in 2016. He finished the season with 169 hits, 27 doubles, 43 home runs, and 105 RBIs. Defensively, he played 48 games in right field.

Cruz had another good season in 2017, batting .288 in 155 games. He finished the season with 160 hits, 28 doubles, 39 home runs, a career high 119 RBIs, and 140 strikeouts to 70 walks. He won his second Silver Slugger award in 2017.

Cruz finished the 2018 season with 133 hits, 18 doubles, 37 home runs, 97 RBIs, 122 strikeouts to 55 walks, and a .256 batting average in 144 games.

Cruz became a free agent on October 29, 2018. He signed with the Minnesota Twins on January 2, 2019. He spent time on the DL in 2019 with a wrist strain. He finished the season with 141 hits, 26 doubles, 41 home runs, 108 RBIs, 131 strikeouts to 56 walks, and a .311 batting average in 120 games. He won his third Silver Slugger award as a DH. In the postseason, he had 2 hits, 1 home run, 1 RBIs, 3 strikeouts to 4 walks, and a .200 batting average in 10 at-bats in 3 games.

Cruz won his fourth Silver Slugger award in 2020. He finished the season with 56 hits, 6 doubles, 16 home runs, 33 RBIs, 58 strikeouts to 25 walks, and a .303 batting average in 53 games. He was the Twins' DH in 52 games. In the postseason, he batted .333 in 6 at-bats in 2 games.

The Twins traded Cruz to the Tampa Bay Rays on July 22, 2021. He finished the 2021 season with 136 hits, 21 doubles, 32 home runs, 86 RBIs, 126 strikeouts to 51 walks, and a .265 batting average in 85 games with the Twins and 55 games with the Rays. In the postseason, he had 3 hits, including 1 home run in 17 at-bats in 4 games.

Cruz became a free agent on November 3, 2021. He signed with the Washington Nationals on March 17, 2022.

Cruz became a free agent on November 6, 2022. He signed with the Padres on January 23, 2023.

Career batting statistics for Cruz through 2021 include:

• 1,882 games played
• 1,913 hits
• 351 doubles
• 449 home runs
• 1,238 RBIs
• 1,751 strikeouts to 683 walks
• .277 batting average

Career fielding statistics for Cruz as a right fielder through 2021 include:

• 881 games played
• 1,770 putouts
• 32 errors
• .983 fielding percentage

Personal Life

Cruz married his wife Solani on Christmas Day, 2009. They have one son and one daughter.

Sources for Information
Wikipedia - Nelson Cruz
ESPN - Nelson Cruz