Twins’ Cruz named 2020 Marvin Miller Man of the Year

At age 40, Nelson Cruz continues to excel — on and off the field.

The Minnesota Twins slugger was selected as the recipient of the Marvin Miller Man of the Year award, part of the 2020 Players Choice Awards. The honor is voted by fellow big-leaguers on the player they “most respect based on his leadership on the field and in the community.”

Cruz is the third Twins player to win the award since it was established in 1997, joining Paul Molitor (1998) and Torii Hunter (2007).

As the award winner, Cruz will receive a $10,000 grant from the Major League Baseball Players Trust to support his numerous charitable efforts.

In June, Cruz was given the 2020 Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award at the ESPYs for the charitable work in is native Dominican Republic, elsewhere in Latin America and in the communities in which he has played during his 16-year major league career. Earlier this year, he led the delivery of a $400,000 donation from Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) and the MLBPA Players Trust Returning Home program to the Dominican Republic, providing medical equipment and helping to battle food insecurity in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

Cruz was also the Twins’ nominee for the 2020 Roberto Clemente Award, given to the player who best represents the sport of baseball on and off the field.

In 2020, Cruz appeared in 53 games for Minnesota and registered a .303/.397/.595 slash line with six doubles, 16 homers and 33 RBI. After spending the last two seasons with the Twins, Cruz is an unrestricted free agent and will hit the open market this offseason.