NEW YORK — Nelson Cruz faced a tough crowd Monday.
Cruz, the Rangers’ right fielder and leading power producer, was peppered with questions about Major League Baseball’s investigation into Biogenesis in relation to his future. The defunct Miami anti-aging clinic allegedly provided performance-enhancing drugs to baseball players.
Cruz is among three players implicated in the Biogenesis affair who will be in the national spotlight Tuesday night in the All-Star Game at Citi Field. The others are shortstops: Detroit’s Jhonny Peralta and San Diego’s Everth Cabrera. The big fish, such as New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, are elsewhere.
As always, Cruz stayed with the rope-a-dope strategy in response. His response to each query was by rote.
He is not worried about the possibility of a suspension. He hopes the issue is resolved soon. Cruz would not say if he has spoken to MLB investigators.
“I’m here to play baseball and forget about it,” Cruz said. “I go out there every day thinking about winning. That makes it easy.
“It is what it is. I come here to play, and that’s my main goal. I did something good in the first half and deserve to be here.”
Cruz’s peers had other thoughts.
The overriding sentiment from the All-Star managers and players is if the investigation finds solid evidence of the use of PEDs, there should be penalties as outlined in the agreement between MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association.
“Suspend the guys, if they did it,” said Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, of Highland Park. “If they didn’t do it, don’t suspend them. Let’s figure it out.
“It’s good to have a clean game because that’s what everybody wants. It’s bad that we keep having to suspend guys in order to do that.”
Kershaw did not aim his comments at a specific player. He voiced a sentiment that seems to be advocated by the
overwhelming majority in the game, from All-Stars to average Joes.
“We are all 100 percent behind MLB cleaning up this game and try to eliminate any kind of drugs that these players get
involved with,” said San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy, who will handle the National League team. “Hopefully, when this investigation is over, we can move on. It’s a shame we are having to deal with this now.”
The irony is a player with a history of PED use helped put Bochy into this position.
San Francisco outfielder Melky Cabrera was the Most Valuable Player in last year’s game, which the NL won. Cabrera received a 50-game suspension for use of PEDs after the All-Star Game. The Giants did not bring Cabrera back for the playoffs, but they opened the World Series at home because of the NL’s All-Star victory. Playing the first two games at home, Bochy admitted, helped trigger the Giants’ sweep of Detroit.
Cruz is a far more accomplished player than Cabrera, but there is one similarity. Like Cabrera a year ago, Cruz is having a strong season in his free-agent year. He ranks sixth in the AL for homers with 22 and is tied for fourth in RBIs with 69. He is on course to surpass career highs for homers (33 in 2009) and RBIs (90 in 2012.)
Cruz has taken to new hitting coach Dave Magadan and been more consistent than at any point of his career. Instead of the explosive eight-RBI games mixed into long and quiet periods, Cruz has maintained a constant level of performance.
Consider this. At the All-Star break last year, Cruz had driven in a run in 27 of the club’s 86 games. He has driven in a run in 42 of the 95 games this season.
“I believe it’s experience,” said Cruz, who has not gone more than two consecutive games without a hit. “I’m more mature. I know what I have to do. And I haven’t been hurt. I’ve been able to stay on the field.”
That’s all Nelson Cruz wants: to stay on the field. Others will have a say on that.
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