Bomba Squad star Nelson Cruz to throw first pitch before Twins' home opener

Cruz had an unbelievable late-career run for the Twins across parts of three seasons.

Aug 21, 2019; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins designated hitter Nelson Cruz (23) hits a base hit in the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Target Field. | David Berding-Imagn Images

Former Twins slugger Nelson Cruz, best known as the star of the 2019 "Bomba Squad" team, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Minnesota's home opener on April 3, according to the Star Tribune's LaVelle E. Neal III.

Cruz had an incredible three-year run with the Twins, who signed him as a 38-year-old free agent before that '19 season. He hit .311 with 41 home runs, 108 RBI, and a 1.031 OPS (fourth-best in the league) in his first year with Minnesota. That was the year the Twins, as a team, hit an MLB-record 307 home runs (which would later be tied by the 2023 Braves), with five players hitting at least 30. The baseballs were almost certainly juiced that year, but that didn't stop it from being a remarkably fun summer at Target Field.

Cruz finished ninth in AL MVP voting in 2019, then blasted 16 homers in 53 games in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, finishing sixth in MVP voting that year. He continued to produce in the first half of the 2021 season before being traded at the deadline to the Rays. That deal brought the Twins Joe Ryan, so in a sense, Cruz is still helping Minnesota win games to this day.

Across three years and 258 regular season games, Cruz hit 76 home runs and had a .984 OPS in a Twins uniform. From an efficiency standpoint, he's actually the most productive hitter in franchise history. Cruz's 162 OPS+ (100 is the league average) is the best, by far, among all Twins hitters with at least 1,000 plate appearances. Harmon Killebrew is second at 145, though he of course played in nearly 2,000 more games than Cruz with the Senator/Twins franchise.

Cruz unfortunately never experienced a playoff win with the Twins, but that wasn't his fault; he had an OPS above 1.000 in five postseason games between 2019 and '20.

Now 44 years old, Cruz is the general manager of the Dominican Republic's national baseball team. He also played for the Brewers, Rangers, Orioles, Mariners, Rays, Nationals, and Padres in his 19-year career.

The Twins' regular season begins on March 27 in St. Louis. After a pair of three-game road series against the Cardinals and White Sox, their first game at Target Field is on April 3 against the Astros. It's a 3:10 p.m. start time on a Thursday afternoon. There will be a number of other festivities that day, including breakfast on the plaza, a ceremonial opening of the gates featuring Twins legends, a flyover, and more.

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