Mariners' Cruz wins 1st career Edgar Martinez Outstanding DH Award
Nelson Cruz is following in the footsteps of one of the greatest hitters to ever wear a Seattle Mariners uniform.
On Thursday, Major League Baseball announced Cruz as the winner of the 2017 Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award, marking the first time he's been given the honor.
Cruz put together a monster season for Seattle in 2017, slashing .288/.375/.549 with 39 homers, 119 RBIs, 28 doubles, and a 146 wRC+ over 155 games. The 37-year-old led all designated hitters in virtually every offensive category, and his homer total was tied for fifth in all of baseball.
"Nelson is truly deserving," Martinez - who's now a hitting coach with the Mariners - said in a statement, according to Greg Johns of MLB.com. "I see first-hand how his presence both in the clubhouse and in our lineup provide stability that makes his teammates around him better. While he goes about his work in a quiet way, we are all glad that he is receiving the national recognition that he deserves."
Cruz, who also took home this year's DH Silver Slugger, is the third Mariners player to win the Edgar Martinez Award, joining Martinez - a five-time winner during his outstanding career - and Willie Horton (1979). MLB renamed the award in Martinez's honor after his retirement in 2004.
Former Boston Red Sox great David Ortiz won this award a record eight times, most recently in 2016.