Mariners’ Nelson Cruz lets his play do the talking
DENVER – Nelson Cruz knows that after games in which he played well – which is often – the media will want to talk to him about his latest exploit, be it a towering home run, a clutch hit or sometimes both.
And there are times when the Mariners outfielder isn’t sure, and he’ll see the group hovering in the clubhouse and politely ask, “Do you guys need me?”
Though always willing to talk, there is something that can remove his near-constant smile from his face – having to talk too much about his exploits.
It makes him more uncomfortable than a 100-mph fastball in on his hands.
“I just play my game every day,” he said this week after hitting his 30th home run of the season. “Whatever happens, happens.”
And on Sunday after hitting a ninth-inning homer on a 3-0 fastball from Twins closer Glen Perkins to break a scoreless tie, Cruz was sheepish when discussing it.
“I just want to get something I can drive,” he said. “I just want to thank them for giving me the green light.”
It’s not false humility. Talking about his accomplishments isn’t something he enjoys. And he never wants it to be construed as bragging.
“That’s sounds a lot like him,” shortstop Brad Miller said. “He’s not a guy to toot his own horn.”
Cruz loves to talk about other aspects of the game. Ask him about a teammate’s performance at the plate, how the Mariners’ starting pitcher did that night or the team in general, and the smile returns and the answers lengthen.
But it’s worth talking about Cruz even if it makes him uncomfortable. In this season of unmet expectations for the M’s, Cruz has been everything they hoped for and more when they signed him to a four-year, $58 million contract in the offseason.
He’s played in 106 of the Mariners’ 108 games and has put up elite numbers – a .323 batting average, .984 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage), 17 doubles, 31 homers and 67 RBI.
So you ask others about him instead.
“I would say he’s our MVP to date,” manager Lloyd McClendon said.
Where would the Mariners be without his production? The 50-59 record certainly would be worse.
“From an offensive standpoint, I don’t even want to think about it,” McClendon said. “He’s brought so much to the table. He’s made guys better by giving them more opportunities.”
Cruz is in the midst of a torrid stretch. With a screaming double in the third inning, he extended his hitting streak to 16 games – during that run he’s hitting .431 with a 1.398 OPS, five doubles, 10 homers and 14 RBI.
His streak of five consecutive games with a homer ended Wednesday. It was his second five-game streak this season. Since 1970, only four other players have done that in a season: Harmon Killebrew (1970 Twins), Frank Thomas (1994 White Sox), Barry Bonds (2001 Giants) and Chase Utley (2008 Phillies).
After hitting 40 homers last season for Baltimore, Cruz is on pace for more than 45. Most analysts thought his power numbers would take a hit this season because of spacious Safeco Field.
“You have to keep an eye during every at-bat, because he can do something special,” catcher Mike Zunino said.
Teammates marvel at Cruz’s power.
“Crazy pop, man, crazy pop,” outfielder Austin Jackson said. “The way it comes off his bat. That sound. You don’t hear that too much.”
Cruz’s other teammates have their favorites, too. The towering homer that hit off the train well above the left-field stands at Minute Maid Park in Houston and the blast into the fish tank at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, are mentioned. But there are others.
“The train was cool and all the ones he pulls are awesome,” Miller said. “But my favorite was at Dodger Stadium to right field. And as it was hit, I was saying, ‘That can’t go out’ to the guy next to me. ‘That can’t go out. No.’ I was just stunned.”
That homer was the second of two he hit off Brandon McCarthy – a low missile that just kept going.
But Cruz’s season shouldn’t be defined by home runs. He hits homers in bunches, and during the periods where the ball wasn’t sailing over the fence it was still finding gaps and outfield grass and pushing runners across the plate.
The fact that he’s hitting .324 isn’t overlooked. Even his infield hits help.
“He runs every ball hard,” Miller said. “How many infield hits does he have?”
Cruz leads the Mariners and is 10th in the A.L. with 15 infield hits.
“Even when he wasn’t hitting to his standards, he still brings a great energy,” Zunino said. “He doesn’t change regardless of what’s going on. I think that speaks a lot about how you are as a guy and a player.”