Nelson Cruz was in the A’s organization before he made his MLB debut.
Nelson Cruz was signed by the New York Mets on February 17, 1998. He was traded by the Mets to the A’s on August 30, 2000 for Jorge Velandia. The Mets were desperate for help replacing injured Rey Ordonez - in a season which would see the Mets reach the World Series.
Cruz would play for the A’s rookie league affiliate in 2001 at Age 20, Low A Vancouver in 2002, and A-ball in 2003.
In 2004 at age 23, Cruz progressed from high-A to AA to finish the season at AAA Sacramento, combining to hit 26 HR and 100 RBI in the minors.
The A’s traded Cruz to the Brewers with Justin Lehr in the 2004-2005 offseason for Keith Ginter.
Cruz made his Major League debut with the Brewers in 2005. He was traded to the Rangers with Carlos Lee at the 2006 trade deadline.
Cruz had his breakout season in 2009 at Age 28 for the Rangers with a .856 OPS in 515 PA, earning his first of seven All-Star selections.
Cruz’ top similarity score on baseball reference is Jose Canseco.