Designated Hitter: Nelson Cruz, Minnesota Twins
2019 fWAR: 4.3
It was a year that included a new team for Nelson Cruz, but he did the same thing he’s been doing since 2014: hitting bunches of homers. Cruz collected another 41 dingers in 2019, making this the fourth time he’s slugged at least 40 in the past six seasons. Even in the years he didn’t reach that number, he never finished with fewer than 37.
Cruz has spent the better part of this decade demolishing baseballs on a regular basis. Despite all the success he’s had, the slugger still managed to register a couple single-season career highs with the Twins this past season. His 1.031 OPS and 163 wRC+ are both the highest he’s ever produced since becoming a full-time player in 2009.
He produced a career-best 52.5% hard-hit rate, too. That’s not only a 10-percentage-point increase from the year prior, but it also led the league among qualified hitters.
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