Nelson Cruz is one of the oldest players in the entire MLB. The San Diego Padres signed him this offseason for a power bat and veteran presence as they prepare for a deep postseason run.
However, is he the oldest player in baseball? Not quite. Right now, Rich Hill is still playing and surpassing Cruz for that state, as Hill is 43 and Cruz is 42. Yet he’s only 112 days younger than the Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher.
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However, he is the oldest position player in baseball. The next closest is Miguel Cabrera at 39 years old. Despite his advanced age, Cruz demonstrated that he still has the ability to succeed in Sunday Night Baseball.
With a one-run lead going into the third and the Padres threatening, Cruz stepped up and hit a three-run homer off Dylan Dodd of the Atlanta Braves. He hit 109 miles per hour from the start.
That effectively put the game out as the Padres ended up winning by a score of 10-2 in a landslide.
How many teams has Nelson Cruz been part of?
Many baseball fans have memories of Nelson Cruz since he’s been around so long. There are also many fans who have memories of him playing for his own team.
He began his career with the Milwaukee Brewers, but only played one season then. He then moved on to the Texas Rangers, a team with which he spent eight seasons.
In 2014, he joined the Baltimore Orioles for just one season. The following year, he was with the Seattle Mariners before moving to Minnesota in 2019. He would also play for the Tampa Bay Rays, Washington Nationals, and now the Padres.