Inside The Padres

Former Padres Slugger Officially Announces Retirement From MLB

What a career he had.

Noah Camras

Former Padres Slugger Officially Announces Retirement From MLB
Former Padres Slugger Officially Announces Retirement From MLB /
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Nelson Cruz has officially announced his retirement from Major League Baseball. Cruz spent 19 years in the league, and played for eight different teams, his last one being the San Diego Padres.

Cruz was a seven-time All-Star, a four-time Silver Slugger award winner and even won an ALCS MVP award. He also won the 2021 Roberto Clemente Award.

The prime of his career came in the mid 2010s when he made five All-Star teams in six years from 2013-2018 with the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners.

Cruz finished his storied career in San Diego, spending the first three months of the 2023 season with the Padres. He hit .245 with one home run in San Diego, bringing his career total to 464 home runs.

Cruz had an incredible career across his nearly 20 seasons, and was beloved by all during his time in the Majors.

He officially announced his retirement on Thursday on the Adam Jones Podcast. You can watch the video here:

Congrats to Nelson on an incredible MLB career!

Published
Noah Camras
NOAH CAMRAS

Noah graduated from USC in 2022 with a B.A. in Journalism and a minor in sports media studies. He is the lead editor for Inside the Padres. He was born and raised in Los Angeles, and has covered all Southern California sports in his career.

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