Nelson Cruz

Pitcher · Career Stats, Bio & Records (1997-2003)

W–L 15–23
ERA 5.04
WHIP 1.37
SO 277
Pitcher PIV -2911.2
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'1" / 175 lb
Born
9/13/1972 in Puerto Plata, Puerto Plata, D.R.
MLB Debut
1997-08-01
Last Game
2003-07-09
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Career Pitching Statistics

W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
15 23 204 18 0 0 2 348.3 369 195 59 109 277 5.04 -2911.2

Career ERA 5.04 vs. league average 4.49 across their career seasons — 12.1% worse than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1997 CHA AL 0 2 19 0 0 0 0 26.3 29 19 9 23 6.49 4.39 (-48%) -632.2
1999 DET AL 2 5 29 6 0 0 0 66.7 74 42 23 46 5.67 4.71 (-20%) -600.8
2000 DET AL 5 2 27 0 0 0 0 41.0 39 14 13 34 3.07 4.77 (+36%) 883.7
2001 HOU NL 3 3 66 0 0 0 2 82.3 72 38 24 75 4.15 4.42 (+6%) 525.4
2002 HOU NL 2 6 43 5 0 0 0 78.3 90 39 29 61 4.48 4.28 (-5%) -897.8
2003 COL NL 3 5 20 7 0 0 0 53.7 65 43 11 38 7.21 4.40 (-64%) -2189.3
Career · 6 seasons 15 23 204 18 0 0 2 348.1 369 195 109 277 5.04 — -2,911

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
204 33 1 3 1 0 0 2 0 1 12 .091 .118 .121 .239 0

Career AVG .091 vs. league average .266 across their career seasons — 65.9% below league average.

Career OBP .118 vs. league average .337 across their career seasons — 65.1% below league average.

Career SLG .121 vs. league average .426 across their career seasons — 71.5% below league average.

Career OPS .239 vs. league average .763 across their career seasons — 68.7% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1997 CHA AL 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1999 DET AL 29 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2000 DET AL 27 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
2001 HOU NL 66 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .167 — — — — 0.0
2002 HOU NL 43 13 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 8 .000 — — — — 0.0
2003 COL NL 20 13 1 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 .154 — — — — 0.0
Career · 6 seasons 204 33 1 3 1 0 0 2 0 1 12 .091 — — — — 0

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
2001 NLDS1 HOU 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
0 0 2 0 0 2.7 1 0 1 1 0.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
2001 NLDS1 HOU 0 0 2 0 0 2.7 1 0 1 1 0.00

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (408 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home109210202.095
Away95121100.083

Pitching — Home / Away

SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home109186.119294521504.54
Away95162.0177101571275.61

Last 10 Games — Pitching

DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
2003-07-09 COLSFG — 0.0222001
2003-07-07 COLAZ L 0.2344101
2003-07-05 COLMIL — 0.2111021
2003-07-03 COLAZ — 1.0000010
2003-07-01 COLAZ — 1.1000020
2003-06-29 COLPIT — 2.1333020
2003-06-23 COLSDP — 1.0100000
2003-06-19 COLSDP — 1.1100010
2003-06-16 COLSDP — 1.2311020
2003-06-11 COLMIN — 2.0211030

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Position G GS PO A E DP
P 204 18 31 56 3 3

Season-by-Season Fielding

Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1997 CHA P 19 0 3 1 0 0
1999 DET P 29 6 8 17 2 0
2000 DET P 27 0 1 6 0 1
2001 HOU P 66 0 8 14 1 0
2002 HOU P 43 5 5 12 0 0
2003 COL P 20 7 6 6 0 2

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Position Games
Pitcher 204

Salary History

Year Team League Salary
2003 COL NL $700,000
2002 HOU NL $375,000
2001 HOU NL $285,000
1999 DET AL $210,000
Total Career Earnings $1,570,000

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Nelson Cruz (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Adam Morgan
    15-28, 4.80 ERA
  2. 92
    Bryse Wilson
    20-23, 4.74 ERA
  3. 92
    Travis Harper
    22-29, 4.94 ERA
  4. 90
    Jerry Spradlin
    17-19, 4.75 ERA
  5. 84
    Taylor Clarke
    18-19, 4.40 ERA
  6. 84
    Jason Bergmann
    12-24, 5.04 ERA

Frequently Asked Questions about Nelson Cruz

What years did Nelson Cruz play?
Nelson Cruz played in Major League Baseball from 1997 to 2003.
Was Nelson Cruz a pitcher?
Yes. Nelson Cruz pitched in the major leagues, recording 15 wins and 277 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Nelson Cruz hit?
Nelson Cruz hit 0 career home runs with 3 hits.