Nelson Cruz
1997–2003 · P

Nelson Cruz

6' 1", 175 lbs·Lived to 54·Bats R / Throws R
Hitter archetype· DERIVED
TTO SluggerBig raw power with high swing-and-miss — homers, walks, and strikeouts.2015–2023 · 2,966 batted balls
The Almanac's Take

AI-generated analysis coming soon.

Career Highs
4.15
Best ERA · 2001
3
Most W · 2003
75
Most K · 2001
1.166
Best WHIP · 2001
Career Arc · ERA
6 seasons
Statistical Comps

Career · Pitching

6 seasons
YearTeamGIPWLERAERA+SOWHIP
1997CWS1926.3026.4967231.443
1999DET2966.7255.6783461.455
2000DET2741.0523.07155341.268
2001HOU6682.3334.15106751.166
2002HOU4378.3264.4895611.519
2003COL2053.7357.2161381.416
Career204348.31523277
Barrel Surface

Every ball this hitter has put in play — how hard it left the bat, and at what angle. The red field behind the dots shows how much damage that kind of contact does, league-wide: the darker the red, the better things go for the hitter.

2,938 BBE · 2015–2023 · 93.1 mph avg EV · 14.5% barrels
406080100-60-3030600EXIT VELOCITY (MPH)LAUNCH ANGLE (°)BARRELZONE
LEAGUE xwOBA0.02.0
BATTED BALLS11025+

The field — league-average xwOBA (what a batted ball is typically worth: 0.0 is a sure out, ~2.0 a sure home run) for every exit-velocity × launch-angle combination, measured from 1.3 million regular-season balls in play since 2015. The dark ridge — balls hit 105+ mph at 25–30° — is the barrel zone, where contact becomes near-automatic extra bases.

The dots — this hitter’s career regular-season balls in play, grouped to a fine grid; a bigger dot means more batted balls at that exact combination. Dots piled onto the red ridge are damage; dots low on the pale field are weak or mishit contact. Spring training and the postseason are excluded.

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