Nelson Cruz, baseball player, 464 home runs, 2005-2023

Nelson Cruz

Born: 7/1/1980 in Monte Cristi, Monte Cristi, D.R.

MLB Debut: 2005-09-17 | Final Game: 2023-07-03

Bats: R | Throws: R | Height: 6'2" | Weight: 230 lbs

Full name: Nelson Ramon Cruz

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Biography

Nelson Cruz, born in 1980, was a prolific position player whose career spanned from 2005 to 2023. He played a total of 2,055 games, during which he amassed 2,053 hits and 464 home runs, showcasing his power-hitting capabilities. Cruz was known for his ability to drive in runs, finishing his career with 1,325 RBIs and maintaining a solid batting average of .274. He also demonstrated a degree of speed on the bases, recording 84 stolen bases throughout his time in Major League Baseball. Cruz earned recognition as a seven-time All-Star and was named the Most Valuable Player of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) during his career, underscoring his impact in key postseason moments. His offensive prowess and consistency made him a valuable asset to every team he played for, particularly during the late 2000s and 2010s, a period characterized by an emphasis on power hitting. As one of the key figures in the game during this era, Cruz left an indelible mark on baseball history, celebrated for his contributions to the sport and his exceptional ability to perform at the highest levels.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
2055 7501 1090 2053 372 15 464 1325 84 738 1916 0.274 0.343 0.513 0.856 25065.2

Career AVG .274 vs. league average .255 across their career seasons — +7.2% above league average.

Career OBP .343 vs. league average .323 across their career seasons — +6.2% above league average.

Career SLG .513 vs. league average .412 across their career seasons — +24.5% above league average.

Career OPS 0.856 vs. league average 0.735 across their career seasons — +16.5% above league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
2005 MIL NL 8 5 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.200 — — — — 0.0
2006 TEX AL 41 130 15 29 3 0 6 22 1 7 32 0.223 .269 (-17%) .336 (-22%) .431 (-11%) .768 (-16%) -403.4
2007 TEX AL 96 307 35 72 15 2 9 34 2 21 87 0.235 .268 (-13%) .335 (-15%) .422 (-9%) .758 (-11%) -740.1
2008 TEX AL 31 115 19 38 9 1 7 26 3 17 28 0.330 .263 (+25%) .333 (+26%) .416 (+46%) .749 (+37%) 777.4
2009 TEX AL 128 462 75 120 21 1 33 76 20 49 118 0.260 .262 (-1%) .332 (avg) .417 (+25%) .750 (+14%) 1233.9
2010 TEX AL 108 399 60 127 31 3 22 78 17 38 81 0.318 .257 (+24%) .325 (+15%) .402 (+43%) .728 (+30%) 2208.7
2011 TEX AL 124 475 64 125 28 1 29 87 9 33 116 0.263 .255 (+3%) .320 (-3%) .399 (+28%) .719 (+14%) 1125.3
2012 TEX AL 159 585 86 152 45 0 24 90 8 48 140 0.260 .254 (+2%) .318 (avg) .405 (+13%) .724 (+8%) 807.0
2013 TEX AL 109 413 49 110 18 0 27 76 5 35 109 0.266 .253 (+5%) .317 (+3%) .396 (+28%) .714 (+17%) 1215.3
2014 BAL AL 159 613 87 166 32 2 40 108 4 55 140 0.271 .251 (+8%) .313 (+6%) .386 (+36%) .700 (+23%) 2624.5
2015 SEA AL 152 590 90 178 22 1 44 93 3 59 164 0.302 .254 (+19%) .316 (+17%) .404 (+40%) .721 (+30%) 3599.2
2016 SEA AL 155 589 96 169 27 1 43 105 2 62 159 0.287 .255 (+12%) .321 (+12%) .417 (+33%) .738 (+24%) 2907.2
2017 SEA AL 155 556 91 160 28 0 39 119 1 70 140 0.288 .254 (+13%) .324 (+16%) .425 (+29%) .750 (+23%) 2822.6
2018 SEA AL 144 519 70 133 18 1 37 97 1 55 122 0.256 .247 (+3%) .318 (+7%) .409 (+24%) .727 (+17%) 1826.0
2019 MIN AL 120 454 81 141 26 0 41 108 0 56 131 0.311 .252 (+23%) .322 (+22%) .434 (+47%) .757 (+36%) 3369.3
2020 MIN AL 53 185 33 56 6 0 16 33 0 25 58 0.303 .244 (+24%) .321 (+23%) .417 (+42%) .739 (+34%) 1185.7
2021 MIN AL 85 296 44 87 13 1 19 50 3 35 63 0.294 .243 (+21%) .317 (+17%) .410 (+31%) .727 (+25%) 1350.7
2021 TBR AL 55 217 35 49 8 0 13 36 0 16 63 0.226 .243 (-7%) .317 (-11%) .410 (+8%) .727 (avg) 1350.7
2022 WAS NL 124 448 50 105 16 0 10 64 4 49 119 0.234 .242 (-3%) .311 (+1%) .394 (-15%) .706 (-8%) -559.7
2023 SDP NL 49 143 9 35 5 1 5 23 1 6 46 0.245 .248 (-1%) .320 (-12%) .414 (-4%) .734 (-7%) -211.4

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
50 187 35 52 12 0 18 38 19 45 0.278

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2021 ALDS2 TBA 4 17 2 3 0 0 1 1 1 5 0.176
2020 ALWC3 MIN 2 6 0 2 2 0 0 2 2 1 0.333
2019 ALDS2 MIN 3 10 2 2 0 0 1 1 4 3 0.200
2014 ALCS BAL 4 16 1 4 1 0 0 2 2 2 0.250
2014 ALDS2 BAL 3 12 4 6 0 0 2 5 0 3 0.500
2012 ALWC TEX 1 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.500
2011 ALCS TEX 6 22 7 8 2 0 6 13 2 4 0.364
2011 ALDS2 TEX 4 15 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 0.067
2011 WS TEX 7 25 5 5 0 0 2 3 5 5 0.200
2010 ALCS TEX 6 20 6 7 3 0 2 5 3 6 0.350
2010 ALDS1 TEX 5 20 5 8 2 0 3 3 0 6 0.400
2010 WS TEX 5 20 2 4 2 0 1 3 0 5 0.200

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
1B 2 1 8 0 0 0
OF 970 937 1962 51 34 11

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
2005 MIL OF 8 1 4 0 0 0
2006 TEX OF 39 35 69 4 0 1
2007 TEX OF 94 79 167 6 5 1
2008 TEX OF 31 31 72 1 2 1
2009 TEX OF 122 119 301 11 4 2
2010 TEX OF 101 101 250 3 5 1
2011 TEX OF 115 114 244 6 6 1
2012 TEX OF 151 148 288 9 4 2
2013 TEX OF 102 102 195 1 3 0
2014 BAL OF 70 70 132 2 0 0
2015 SEA OF 80 80 151 6 4 1
2016 SEA OF 48 48 76 2 1 1
2017 SEA OF 5 5 7 0 0 0
2018 SEA OF 4 4 6 0 0 0
2021 TBA 1B 1 1 7 0 0 0
2023 SDN 1B 1 0 1 0 0 0

Career Games by Position

Position Games
First Base 2
Left Field 119
Center Field 2
Right Field 881
Designated Hitter 1046

Awards & Honors

Year Award Notes
2021 Roberto Clemente Award
2020 All-MLB Team - Second Team DH
2020 MLB Players Choice Man of the Year
2020 Player of the Week Week of 2020-07-25
2020 Silver Slugger DH
2020 TSN All-Star DH
2019 All-MLB Team - First Team DH
2019 Outstanding DH Award
2019 Player of the Week Week of 2019-07-27
2019 Silver Slugger DH
2019 TSN All-Star DH
2018 Player of the Week Week of 2018-06-23
2017 Outstanding DH Award
2017 Silver Slugger DH
2017 TSN All-Star DH
2015 Player of the Month April
2015 Player of the Week Week of 2015-04-19
2015 Silver Slugger OF
2014 Player of the Week Week of 2014-06-01
2014 Player of the Week Week of 2014-09-07
2011 ALCS MVP
2010 Player of the Week Week of 2010-05-23

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2016 SEA AL $14,250,000
2015 SEA AL $14,250,000
2014 BAL AL $8,000,000
2013 TEX AL $10,250,000
2012 TEX AL $6,250,000
2011 TEX AL $3,650,000
2010 TEX AL $440,000
2009 TEX AL $408,070
2007 TEX AL $382,000
Total Career Earnings $57,880,070

Award Voting History

Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
2020 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 128.0 420 0
2019 Most Valuable Player AL 9th 62.0 420 0
2017 Most Valuable Player AL 10th 44.0 420 0
2016 Most Valuable Player AL 15th 6.0 420 0
2015 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 94.0 420 0
2014 Most Valuable Player AL 7th 102.0 420 0