Retired slugger Nelson Cruz played for eight MLB teams.
He has fond memories of each and every one of them.
The Seattle Mariners, however, stole his heart.
He was a Mariner from 2015 to 2018, and had some of the best years of his career in Seattle.
The team recently had a cool gesture towards Cruz, allowing him to retire as a Mariner.
“The Seattle Mariners are signing popular Nelson Cruz to a one-day contract to retire with the team. ‘I have always identified myself with the Seattle Mariners,’ said Cruz. ‘When I was playing here, I felt comfortable playing the game,’” MLB insider Bob Nightengale tweeted, with Cruz’s quotes.
The Seattle Mariners are signing popular Nelson Cruz to a one-day contract to retire with the team.‘’I have always identified myself with the Seattle Mariners,” said Cruz. “When I was playing here, I felt comfortable playing the game.”
Cruz last played in MLB last year, with the San Diego Padres.
The results, however, just weren’t there for the 43-year-old.
He slashed .245/.283/.399 with a .681 OPS in 49 games, so he knew it was time to call it a career.
When he was in Seattle, however, Cruz was in his prime.
Let’s take into account the fact that he was somewhat of a late-bloomer and his “prime” was actually in his thirties.
He slashed an impressive .284/.362/.546 with 163 home runs and a .908 OPS in four seasons in Seattle.
Those 163 long balls were the most he had with any team in his career.
Basically, the guy averaged over 40 home runs per year in Seattle.
Fans, as you would expect, love him and remember him fondly, even though he couldn’t help them make the postseason.
It’s definitely a deserving honor for one of the most prolific and underrated sluggers of our time.