Nelson Cruz is already reaping rewards for a record-breaking season that has him poised to lead the American League in RBIs for the first time in his 13-year career.
Cruz, 37, was honored Friday in a pre-game ceremony as the Mariners’ player of the year as selected by the Seattle Chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
"To do what he’s doing is defying the odds," manager Scott Servais said. "All the studies that say you decline at a certain age, there are outliers, and he’s one of the outliers."
The Seattle Chapter also chose James Paxton as the Mariners’ pitcher of the year and recognized reliever Nick Vincent as the club’s unsung hero.