MLB

Cruz has ‘carried’ Orioles, while Young has been a Mets bust

The man who could have been answer to the Mets’ offensive woes spent Saturday afternoon in The Bronx crushing another home run and leading his team to an impressive road victory.

Nelson Cruz’s career year continued against the Yankees in a 6-1 Orioles win at the Stadium. What could have been had he wound up in Queens rather than Baltimore?

Cruz, signed by the Orioles to a one-year, $8 million deal Feb. 25, was coming off a 50-game suspension for his involvement with the now-shuttered Biogenesis clinic, yet still hit 27 homers and drove in 76 runs in 109 games a season ago. At the age of 33, he was viewed as a potential risk, because of questions of how he would perform after his suspension and his poor defense.

Cruz has been the subject of Mets fans’ ire, as they watch the offensive struggles of their club while the outfielder thrives in Baltimore. The Mets showed preliminary interest in Cruz before going in other directions. He’s on pace to set career-bests in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage and OPS. He also has proven to be durable (missing just one game), a previous knock on the power-hitting outfielder. He hit his 23rd homer on Saturday, driving a Vidal Nuno fastball over the wall in right field in the fourth inning as the Orioles evened the series at one game apiece.

“He’s carried us a lot this season,” shortstop J.J. Hardy said of the Orioles (38-35), who are just two games behind the AL East-leading Blue Jays. “When guys have been hurt, when guys haven’t been swinging the bat well, he’s a big reason as why we’re in the place we are.”

The Mets, 14th in the NL in homers, sure could use his power. Chris Young, signed for a shade under the $8 million Cruz is getting, has battled to stay above the Mendoza Line, with just 12 more hits than Cruz has home runs.

Cruz’s 23 round-trippers, tied for the major league lead with Blue Jays slugger Edwin Encarnacion, are more than twice the amount any Met has produced (Curtis Granderson, another offseason signing, has nine), and his 60 RBIs dwarf that of any Met (David Wright has a team-high 38).

“[Cruz has] been solid,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “He’s having as good an offensive year as anybody. I think everybody pulls for him. As I’ve said many times, none of us would like to have our lives judged by our worst decision. When he gets going, we get going.”

Mets general manager Sandy Alderson recently said it is unfair to compare the signings of Young and Cruz because at the time the Mets signed Young, Cruz still was looking for a multi-year deal. He reportedly turned down big money from the Mariners in December before settling to the one-year contract with the Orioles in February. Plus, the Mets needed protection in center field in case Juan Lagares didn’t pan out, and felt Young could play the position.

At this point, en route to another losing season, it’s semantics. Cruz’s big bat would look good in the middle of the Mets batting order.