Nelson Cruz’s Power Numbers Will Plummet With Seattle Mariners
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The signing of Nelson Cruz was long awaited for the Seattle Mariners as they finally got their man this week. He provides great power upside for a Seattle team that desperately needed it. However, playing at Safeco Field in Seattle is going to ensure Cruz’s power numbers seriously drop off over the next several seasons.
For right-handed hitters, the Mariners’ home field is the hardest place to hit a double, triple or home run in all of baseball. That does not bode well for the 34-year-old from a power perspective.
Even though he’s a left-handed hitter, Robinson Cano, who signed with Seattle last offseason, experienced a major power drop off as well last season. He went from hitting 27 home runs and driving in 107 runs in his final season with the New York Yankees to hitting just 14 home runs while driving in 82 runs in his first season in Seattle.
The strange thing about the drop off in those numbers? Cano batted .314 in each season, so he didn’t necessarily decline in ability last season. However, the dimensions of Safeco Field keep hitters from putting up the gaudy power numbers they’ve put up in other places. Since the gaps are relatively easy to cover and it’s hard for right-handers to hit it out of the park, hitters have to redefine themselves.
That means that just because Cruz’s power numbers are likely to drop off, doesn’t mean he isn’t going to have a good year or help the Mariners win more games. Since visiting teams are going to be scoring less runs when they visit the Mariners, Seattle will, logically, have to score less runs to win than when they’re on the road.
Basically, every run that Cruz drives in when hitting in Seattle is going to mean more than on the road. So, as Cano showed last season, your power numbers can drop off in Seattle while still remaining just as valuable a player.
There’s no doubt Cruz is going to be a nice addition for the Mariners. However, for fans expecting the veteran to hit 30 or more homers every season he’s in Seattle, it’s time to get realistic.
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