Baltimore Orioles: The best designated hitters in the team’s history

Nelson Cruz may have only played one season in Baltimore, but he made a name for himself. In 2014, the hitter loving known as Boomstick showed why he earned the name. He hit a league-leading 40 home runs and paired that with 108 RBIs. His slash in 2014 was .271/.333/.525.

In 2014, he made his second visit to the All-Star Game and he finished seventh in the MVP votes. During the ALDS, he cemented his reputation of being a “Tiger Killer” and his .500/.500/1.000 slash proved it. In 12 at-bats, he had six hits, including two home runs. He was unstoppable, then he went to the Seattle Mariners for nearly double what the Orioles paid him.

At the age of 37, Cruz is still a force to be reckoned with as he continues to drive in runs at a league-leading clip. In fact, in the 2017 season, he led the American League with 119 RBIs. He also hit 39 home runs at the DH position. When he does play defense, he still goes to right field, just like he did in Baltimore.

In 13 years, Boomstick has earned quite a collection of awards. He has five All-Star Games under his belt, two Silver Sluggers, and an ALCS MVP from 2011 when he played for the Texas Ranger. That was another series where Cruz demolished the Detroit Tigers. Since 2014, Cruz has played in a minimum of 152 games in a season. That, too, is impressive.