MLB names Nelson Cruz as consultant in baseball operations role

Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred Jr. announced Friday that Major League Baseball has named Nelson Cruz as a consultant to MLB in a new role as Special Advisor for Baseball Operations. Cruz will serve as a liaison for MLB on a range of issues, focusing primarily on topics in Latin America, including the Dominican Republic and growing MLB’s existing player relations function.

Commissioner Manfred said: “Nelson Cruz is a respected voice in the game whose outstanding service to young people and those in need in the Dominican Republic earned him the Roberto Clemente Award. Nelson is passionate about growing the game and improving issues for players and our sport as a whole. He will be a resource to many people across our game, especially in the Dominican Republic.”

Cruz said: “I’m extremely happy to join Major League Baseball. Since I signed out of the Dominican Republic as a teenager, I’ve cared deeply about the issues affecting that country, and the game as a whole. I’m excited to work with the Commissioner’s Office and the opportunity to work with young players by sharing what I have learned since I signed in 1998.”

Cruz was a seven-time All-Star in his 19-year Major League career, batting .274 with 464 home runs, 1,325 RBI and a .513 slugging percentage. He finished in the top 10 in American League Most Valuable Player balloting five times. Cruz was the MVP of the American League Championship Series for the Texas Rangers in 2011. He earned Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter honors in 2017 with the Seattle Mariners and again in 2019 with the Minnesota Twins. Cruz was a member of the All-MLB First Team in 2019 and the Second Team in 2020. He reached the Postseason with four different Clubs a total of seven times, including back-to-back World Series in 2010-2011. While a player, he also served as General Manager for the Dominican team in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

In 2021, Cruz was recognized as the 50th recipient ever of the Roberto Clemente Award, Major League Baseball’s most prestigious individual player honor. He was honored for his generosity and humanitarian efforts in his home Club markets and his hometown, Las Matas de Santa Cruz, in the Dominican Republic, which has included providing food and medical services to those in need, providing computers to student-athletes, and promoting education, employment and income stability.

Cruz joins a group of former players who are working in various capacities for Major League Baseball. The group includes Special Assistants to the Commissioner CC Sabathia, Albert Pujols and Hall of Famer Joe Torre; Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr., who serves as Senior Advisor to the Commissioner; Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., who serves as Senior Advisor on youth programs; Joe Martinez, Gregor Blanco, Rajai Davis and Dan Otero of MLB’s Baseball Operations Department; and Billy Bean, who is currently Senior Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion and Special Assistant to the Commissioner.