ZSW [C M Y K]C1 Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2019

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2019 STARTRIBUNE.COM/SPORTS • SECTION C SPORTS

SPORTS PERSON OF THE YEAR |

Man of La Bomba brought clout to the Twins, on the field and in the clubhouse

Story by La VELLE E. NEAL III • [email protected] | Illustration by EVGENY PARFENOV • Special to the Star Tribune

The home is baseball’s majestic moment, and never was Better with age the comfort of a large number of Spanish-speaking players. there more magic than in 2019, when b alls flew over fences in Nelson Cruz didn’t reach Cruz gave them everything they wanted — a “messiah” in record numbers. the 40- mark until the clubhouse, soaring home runs, an incredible calmness, a As unlikely as it might have seemed when the season began, his 10th year in the majors. miraculous recovery from a completely torn wrist tendon. the finished with the major league record Since then, he has steadily On behalf of the “BombaSquad,” Nelson Cruz is the Star after 307 slow trips around the bases, home runs that meant been blasting Bombas. Tribune Sportsperson of the Ye ar. 101 victories and the Central title. • • • I t all started last offseason, when the Twins were looking HR RBI AVG The baseball part is astonishing. for a power hitter to anchor their lineup, a veteran who could 2019 41 108 .311 Cruz, who turned 39 during the season, was limited to 120 guide a group of young players looking for leadership. 2018 37 97 .256 games in 2019 because of two trips to the disabled list for a They found that leader in Nelson Cruz who, approaching 40 2017 39 119 .288 wrist injury that ended up being a complete tear of a tendon. years of age, wanted to prove he could still be one of the most 2016 43 105 .287 Still, he hit a career-high .311 with 41 home runs and 108 RBI. feared sluggers in baseball. He hit his 400th career home run in September, batting in the The Twins were high on analytics, launch angles, pitching 2015 44 93 .302 middle of a lineup i n which teammates across the board were high in the zone; they were establishing a relaxed culture 2014 40 108 .271 setting their own personal home run records. under young Rocco Baldelli and seeking to incr ease Bold: Led American League See SPORTS PERSON on C4 Ø