Nelson Cruz isn’t your typical designated hitter

By Isabelle Minasian

Nelson Cruz’s locker is just like that of any other major leaguer. Well, any other major league superstar. Uniforms and shirts hang tightly together. Caps are piled across the top shelf. Cleats and shoes are stacked below, and a fireman’s jacket and hat feature prominently on a front hook.

OK, so maybe it’s not like any other major leaguer, nor any major league superstar. Cruz is exceptional on the field, to be sure. The 38-year-old Dominican is a six-time All-Star with three seasons with at least 40 home runs and one with 39 homers. He has a career .519 slugging percentage but, despite his prodigious power, his actions off the field truly set him apart.

After all, only one player from each team can be nominated for the annual Roberto Clemente Award. That’s where Cruz’s fireman’s gear comes in.

The Boomstick Boost

“I’ve been helping in the Dominican without my foundation for a long time,” said Cruz, referring to his Boomstick23 Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The foundation, whose mission stresses a commitment “to generating social impact by empowering children and young people in situations of social vulnerability; developing skills and abilities through education and sports to improve the environment and their quality of life,” has been one way in which he’s left his mark.

Through his foundation, Cruz awards “Boomstick Scholarships” to high-achieving students. This year he provided 10 new scholarships to students from Chief Sealth International High School in Seattle. He also frequently hosts fundraising events to raise money for a wide variety of philanthropic initiatives, from the Amyloidosis Support Groups to the development of a new Education and Training Center in his hometown of Las Matas de Santa Cruz.

Cruz started the Boomstick23 Foundation in 2016, but giving back to his communities is something the slugger has always been passionate about.

“I’ve always been donating stuff to kids, trying to help them out, help them go to school,” he said. “I’ve been able to bring equipment and gear for most of the programs in the Dominican. It’s always special when you can help.”

In 2015, Cruz became a spokesperson for AID for AIDS International , which is committed to empowering communities at risk of HIV and AIDs. He supported AID for AIDS International’s initiative, “Un Batazo Contra El VIH” (A Hit Against HIV). Jointly with the MLB Players’ Association, he donated wheelchairs to the Dominican Republic in 2015.

Cruz has supported MLB’s PLAY BALL initiative since 2016 and the Mariners’ nonprofit, Mariners Care, including participating in school outreach programs and local Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities events.

The fireman’s gear dates back to 2012.

“One of my first donations was an ambulance and a fire truck – two ambulances and a fire truck,” noted Cruz. A childhood friend’s house had “burned down completely, because we [didn’t] have a fire truck in my hometown,” so he sprang into action. At the time, Cruz played with the Texas Rangers, so he worked with the Arlington Fire Department to buy a fully-operational fire truck and two ambulances for his hometown.

When he joined the Mariners he reached out to the Seattle Fire Department to provide further equipment to the fire department in Las Matas de Santa Cruz, and their combined efforts produced a “U-Haul-sized truck” of gear.

Honoring Clemente’s Legacy

For back-to-back years Nelson Cruz has been selected as the Mariners’ recipient of the Heart and Hustle Award, with team officials often citing his philanthropic work as reason for the recognition, but 2018 marks the first year he has been nominated for the prestigious Clemente Award. If Cruz were to win the award he would become just the fourth Dominican to do so, following in the footsteps of Sammy Sosa (1998), Albert Pujols (2008) and David Ortiz (2011).

Cruz, like so many other Latin ballplayers, is particularly proud to be nominated for an award named after the Puerto Rican superstar and philanthropist.

“What [Clemente] did on the field and off the field was incredible,” he said. “He lost his life trying to help people, so…it’s a privilege to be recognized. It’s an honor, really.”

The Clemente Award winner will be announced during the World Series, but Cruz believes that The Great One’s memory should be commemorated beyond a single award.

He also hopes that Major League Baseball retires Roberto Clemente’s No. 21 jersey throughout baseball.

“He should be like Jackie Robinson,” Cruz said of the Hall of Famer who broke baseball’s color line in 1947 and now has his No. 42 retired throughout baseball. “ A guy who lost everything trying to help people, that should be a message not only for baseball players but for the whole country, everywhere. The whole world.”

There has been no recent news about whether MLB will ever retire number 21 across the leagues, but in the meantime, Nelson Cruz plans to continue to honor Clemente’s legacy.

“Hopefully,” he said, “I can continue to do it throughout my life, to keep helping people.”

Featured Image: Nelson Cruz Instagram