Nelson Cruz Stats
- Height / Weight
- 6' 2" / 230 lbs.
- Date of Birth (Age)
- 7/1/1980 (43)
- Experience
- 18
- College
- None
Nelson Cruz Season Stats
Last 10 Games
Nelson Cruz News
Long-time designated hitter Nelson Cruz announced his retirement from professional baseball on The Adam Jones Podcast on Thursday. The 43-year-old Dominican slugger had a phenomenal 19-year big-league career that saw him make seven All-Star teams and win four Silver Slugger awards. Cruz finishes his illustrious career with 464 home runs, 1,325 RBI and 84 stolen bases in 2,055 regular-season games with the Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays, Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres. The Boomstick hit .245 (35-for-143) with five home runs and 23 RBI in 49 games in his final season with the Padres in 2023 before he was released in July.
The San Diego Padres officially released veteran designated hitter Nelson Cruz on Monday after they designated him for assignment last week. The Padres move to designate Cruz came as a surprise to many. The 43-year-old seven-time All-Star was hitting .245 (35-for-143) at the time with five home runs, five doubles, a triple, 23 RBI and nine runs scored in 49 games as a part-time designated hitter for the Friars, but he also wasn't an option at all defensively and had been striking out 30.3 percent of the time. The Boomstick began to show signs of sharp decline last year with the Washington Nationals, and this may be the end of the line for a player that had a Hall of Fame career.
The San Diego Padres designated veteran designated hitter Nelson Cruz for assignment on Tuesday. It comes as a bit of a surprise after Cruz had been serving as a pretty regular designated hitter for the Friars while mostly facing left-handed pitching. The 43-year-old Dominican is obviously past his prime and at the tail end of his illustrious major-league career, but he was holding his own with a .245 average (35-for-143) with five home runs, five doubles, a triple and 23 RBI in 49 games played. The Padres are looking to change things up as they head into the All-Star break of a very disappointing first half of the season. With Cruz out of the picture now, Rougned Odor should see an increase in playing time moving forward.
Nelson Cruz Stats
Last 10 Games
Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz was his usual, reliable self last season providing fantasy managers plenty of power in the shortened campaign. The 40-year-old's name littered MLB batting leaderboards as he was top-10 in baseball in OPS (.992), wOBA (.441), and wRC (164). That translated into 16 homers and 33 RBI as Cruz continued to be a fantasy asset despite DH-only eligibility. A look at Cruz's advanced metrics shows no sign of decline in his advanced age. Cruz's 15-percent barrel rate was top-seventh percentile in baseball, yet was still a drop from the league-leading 19.9-percent mark he put up in 2019. His 93 MPH average exit velocity over the last two seasons is elite and justifies his absurd .624 slugging percentage in that span. Omitting 2020, Cruz has at least 37 homers in every season since 2014 and cleared the 100 RBI mark four times. His role as an everyday DH has clearly helped fend off Father Time as Cruz has been a staple in a loaded Twins lineup. He re-signed in Minnesota for the 2021 season and will bat third or fourth for a lineup that will provide plenty of run and RBI opportunities. DH-only eligibility hurts his fantasy stock a little, but that is baked into his average draft position of 98th overall. Draft Cruz with confidence as a four-category contributor.