Nelson Cruz takes well-worn path to Mariners

(TNS) - There is a little more to Nelson Cruz than his ability to blast a majestic, towering home run with a short, violent swing of the bat.

Of course, that aspect has helped define a major-league career that made him a three-time all-star and helped earn him a 4-year, $58 million contract with the Mariners earlier this month.

"This guy is a great offensive player," manager Lloyd McClendon said. "He will make other players better. He's going to make your No. 3 and No. 5 hitters better. He's a winner. He shows up every day. He plays through nagging injuries. He gets big hits."

But there are plenty of things that the average Mariner fan might not know about their new cleanup hitter.

Despite standing 6 feet 2 and weighing 230-plus pounds - most of it muscle, Cruz is soft-spoken and quiet with a voice a few octaves higher than expected for a man of his size and immense power.

"He's very quiet," said Mariners second baseman Robinson Cano, who has played winter ball and in the World Baseball Classic with Cruz. "He doesn't say much. He's a very hard-working player. He always gives his best effort. He has passion for playing the game. He's a very hard-working player."

Cruz isn't one to spend many words talking about himself or his accomplishments.

"I just try to work hard," he said.

As a kid growing up in the coastal town of Las Matas de Santa Cruz in the Dominican Republic, Cruz's first love was basketball. He was an elite-level basketball player on the Dominican junior national team.

His hero?

"Michael Jordan," he said with a smile. "I loved Jordan."

But when a career in basketball wasn't materializing, Cruz signed as a non-drafted free agent with the New York Mets in 1998 at age 18.

He was a raw package of talent, athleticism and potential.

Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik was a special assistant to then-Mets general manager Steve Phillips. He remembers the 18-year-old Cruz.

"He was a late starter," Zduriencik said. "He was a basketball player. Even when he was signed, he was a pretty crude player. He will even tell you that. He had all these tools, but he didn't have skills."

It was evident when Cruz needed three seasons of playing in the Dominican Summer League before graduating to the minor-league system in the United States.

He then needed five more minor-league seasons before debuting in the big leagues in 2005 with Milwaukee.

Perhaps the most stunning aspect of Cruz's meandering road from basketball to the big leagues to big bucks and trades to the A's, Brewers and Rangers is that any team could have claimed him on waivers before 2008 for just $20,000.

After being traded to the Rangers in 2006, Cruz appeared in 41 major-league games. He played 96 games in 2007. His numbers weren't inspiring. In those 137 games, he hit .231, with a .279 on-base percentage and a .384 slugging percentage, with 15 homers and 56 runs batted in. But the 119 strikeouts and lack of plate discipline were too much. He didn't fit on the Rangers opening-day roster for the 2008 season. Out of options, Texas designated him for assignment. He cleared waivers and was sent to Class AAA Oklahoma City.

His career was at a crossroad. Being designated for assignment can be a humbling experience, leaving players bitter or frustrated.

Scott Coolbaugh was the hitting coach at OKC in 2008. When Cruz arrived, he found a player that was willing to work and ready to climb up from rock bottom.

"Guys get to that point in their career where they are kind of stunned that they don't get picked up by somebody else," Coolbaugh said. "You run into some players in that situation where they have this woe-is-me type of attitude. Nelson is a guy that will fight through things. Nelson was a guy, that said, 'OK. What's my next step?' "

That next step was to act on the advice of then-Rangers minor-league hitting instructor Mike Boulanger, who suggested that Cruz open up his stance, starting with his front foot away from the plate and then bringing it toward the plate as the pitch was delivered.

"It was a small adjustment," said Coolbaugh, who worked with Cruz on the change. "He had a more traditional squared-off stance. They talked and said let's open up the stance and see if we can get him in a better position."

Cruz was a willing participant.

"For a hitter, that's the biggest thing, getting them in a better position to where they see the ball," Coolbaugh said. "You read the ball better and just let the swing come out. After that, Nelson kind of took off."

The long hours spent with Coolbaugh in the cage began turning into results on the field. He put up video game numbers for the Red Hawks that season. In 103 games, he posted a line of .342/.429/.695 batting average, on-base-percentage and slugging percentage, with 18 doubles, 37 homers, 99 RBI and 24 stolen bases, earning Pacific Coast League MVP honors.

Cruz returned to the big leagues on Aug. 25, and the Rangers put him in right field, where he stayed for the next five seasons, making two All-Star Games and playing in two World Series.

"It just takes times with different players," Coolbaugh said. "Some get it quicker, some it takes longer."

Cruz's persistence is admirable.

"He deserves a lot of credit," Zduriencik said. "He didn't give up. He took it to heart and he worked to make the most of it. He's worked hard to become an impact player at the big-league level."

And that work won't stop.

"Every year I come with something to prove and try to bring my best," Cruz said. "I can't wait till spring training to be a part of this."

It's that mentality that has carried him to this point in his career.

"He knows where he comes from and knows how hard it is to get there," Coolbaugh said. "He took a longer road than most guys, but I know he appreciates it now."