There is a saying: “Veterans don’t die, they just fade away.” No matter how heroic and athletic players are, they will eventually lose their status as players because of their age. This is the case with Chen Jinfeng, Peng Zhengmin, and Zhang Taishan in Taiwan, and Suzuki Ichiro and “MO God” in the major leagues. The same goes for Mariano Rivera, “Dad” David Ortiz and others, and even the prestigious “Ooze” Fernando Rodney and “Eight-headed Dragon” Bartolo Colon quietly left the pitch.
And maybe the next one is “Old Monster” Nelson Cruz.
Nicknamed “Pants”, he is synonymous with the old-fashioned heavy artillery of “older and stronger” and “no recession” in recent years. Although he is 41 years old, he was selected for the All-Star Game last season (the 7th time in his career) and exploded 32 times throughout the season. , Received 10 Jingyuan walks, OPS+ 129, and was hired by the Washington Nationals following becoming a free agent in the offseason.
But at present, it seems that Cruz has been caught up with age, and it is lamentable that the passage of time has once once more left traces on athletes.
Although Cruz hit 2 home runs in 12 games during spring training, his measurements were only 0.143/0.211/0.343 and he had 11 strikeouts in 38 games. The season so far this year is 24 games, 91 hits and 2 homers, measurements 0.143/0.233/0.209 (OPS+ 34).
Looking at the data carefully, Cruz’s Hard% this year is 40.5%, which is quite a step backward compared to last year’s 52.5%, and the long hits disappear, leaving Barrel% at 8.1%, which is still better than the league average, but Compared with himself, it is obviously not up to the standard (career average is 15%, he has been stable at above 13% in the past few seasons), and the air-swing rate in the face of changing balls has increased significantly. The good news is that the ball selection is still available (BB% is 10.6 percent, higher than his career average).
However, Cruz’s BABIP is indeed low (0.153), but it does not mean that he can easily “rebound”. Because of his hitting content, there are more and more “ground balls” and “infield shotguns”. It is reasonable to infer that maybe Cruz’s age It has become a drag factor, making him powerless and unable to accurately grasp the hitting point.
National Manager Mike Rizzo said a while ago: “Although Cruz’s results are not satisfactory at the moment, I have confidence in him. He is a batter with a rich record. He said that he is in good shape and his health is not to worry regarding. I believe that when the season comes And when it’s over, he’ll still be putting up the same stellar numbers that he’s had over the past few years.”
“For several years people thought ‘he should be fading’, but it’s never been that way, and it’s going to be the same this year. I think this year’s shortened spring training will definitely have an impact on some batters, but give him time to adjust. , be patient, he’ll find the rhythm and the touch.”
The 57-year-old Nationals head coach Davey Martinez also expressed optimism regarding Cruz: “He is indeed old, but the positive leadership in the lounge, the positive strength, the experience on the field, can help the team, although the back is a little uncomfortable. The situation, but we have proper communication and discussion, everything is under control.”
This year is Cruz’s 18th major league season, with 1,906 appearances, 7,001 at-bats, 1,926 hits, 451 home runs and 0.275/0.345/0.522 measurements (OPS+ 132). He is expected to become the 288th member of the “2000 Ann” club, and temporarily ranks 40th in the history of home runs. He will tie Carl Yastrzemski with one more hit. Unfortunately, 500 hits may be a slim chance.
Regardless of whether Cruz can survive the current low tide of “rejuvenation” in the end, there are not many days left to see him active on the court.
Note: The data in this article is as of May 6, Taiwan time before the game.
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