Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz became just the third Major League player to hit home runs in his team’s first four games to open the season, tying a record held by Willie Mays (Giants, 1971) and Mark McGuire (Cardinals, 1998). Cruz hit the home run off Erik Bedard in the fourth inning of Monday’s game versus the Seattle Mariners. Bedard is a story unto himself, but that is another story altogether. The story of Nelson Cruz is also one filled with intrigue, drama, and danger. Well, not so much danger in the literal sense, but for those fantasy owners looking to him for salvation, there are dangers aplenty.
Cruz was originally acquired by the Rangers from the Brewers along with Carlos Lee for Francisco Cordero, along with immortals Kevin Mench, and Laynce Nix. Obviously, Lee didn’t last long in a Rangers uniform, but the Rangers still look to have made out more than okay in that deal. At least, that’s what the advantage of hindsight would have the baseball world believe. At the time, the Brewers were in a bind, needing to find both a closer and a reasonable return for Carlos Lee, a player that was poised to depart via free agency following the season. They accomplished both goals, short-term though they may have been.
It was once believed that Cruz might never find a place on a Major League roster due to the generally held notion that he was a AAAA-player—too good for the minors, but not quite ready for the big leagues. Cruz’s 2008 minor league numbers clearly illustrated that he had nothing left to prove in AAA after batting .342 with 37 home runs and 99 RBIs. Those numbers were good enough to win him the 2008 Pacific Coast League Most Valuable Player award, and open more than a few eyes with the big club. Still, four previous attempts to launch Cruz’s career had failed, casting a cloud over his head.
He was finally given a chance to play every day in 2009 and rewarded the Rangers faith in him by turning in an All Star season. He was named to the 2009 American League All Star team as an injury replacement for Torii Hunter (Angels), ironic though it may seem. He finished 2009 batting .260 with 33 home runs and 20 stolen bases, but he played in just 128 games due to nagging injuries to his ankle and finger. In fact, since becoming a Major League regular, Cruz hasn’t been limited by an inability to produce (especially at home), but by an inability to stay healthy.
Despite reaching the World Series, 2010 was another season filled with injuries and frustrations for Cruz. While he batted a career-high .318, along with hitting 22 home runs and stealing 17 bases, Cruz lost 54 games due to lingering hamstring problems. Cruz managed to play in just 108 games in 2010, failing to reach 400 at bats. While his .950 OPS looks great on paper, Cruz’s fantasy owners still have a sour taste in their mouths wondering what may have been after seeing their star outfielder play in just 66% of the Rangers games. Over a “full” season, Cruz owners were holding a loaded howitzer: 29 HR, 22 SB, 103 RBIs. Seemingly, he’s more than capable of reaching those numbers on a year-to-year basis, if only health would permit it.
That type of potential production makes his torrid start to the 2011 season all the more enticing, as the prospects of what may lie ahead seem almost endless in both scope and magnitude. His supporters are already getting carried away, as the endless comparisons to Mays and McGuire seem to indicate. This is, after all, a 31 year old player entering just his third full season in the big leagues. A late bloomer? That would be an understatement. The talent is there to be a special (fantasy) player, but one talent Cruz just does not seem to possess is health. No, staying healthy isn’t just based in luck; clearly there’s a modicum of skill involved in being able to stay out of harm’s way—something Cruz has not yet shown a predilection toward. Until he shows he can play 140 or more games, everyone will have to take the good (his 2011 HR binge) with the bad (the inevitability of DL-time).
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