Nelson Cruz was signed by the N.Y. Mets as an Amateur Free Agent in 1998. He bounced around from the Mets to Oakland to Milwaukee before making his first MLB appearance for the Brewers at the end of the 2005 season. During the 2006 season Cruz was acquired by the Texas Rangers and he ended up appearing in 41 games and hitting 6 homers. For the Rangers in '07 managed just 9 HR's in 96 games. In 2008 Cruz didn't make the team out of Spring Training and was waived. No team took a chance on him, so he signed with Oklahoma City. Cruz dominated the AAA level hitting .342 with 37 HR's and was called up to the Rangers in August of that year. In 2009 Nelson was selected to the A.L. All-Star team finishing the year with 33 HR's & 20 steals in 128 games. In 2010 Cruz again was plagued by injuries but finished with 22 HR's & 17 steals in 108 games. Nelson appeared in 16 Post-Season games and added another 6 homers and 11 RBI's. 
Here's a little trivia, Colby played in the 1999 Little League World Series! More good things would follow this young left handed hitting outfielder. Rasmus was drafted by the St.Louis Cardinals with the 28th pick in the 2005 Free Agent Draft. Colby moved steadily through the Cardinals minor league system and made the major league opening day roster in 2009. Rasmus' first season was more solid than spectacular. He finished 8th in the N.L. Rookie of the Year voting. There were highlights like his 4 hit game June 19 versus K.C. and a walk-off homer on July 1 to beat the Giants 2-1. Expectations were high for 2010 and Rasmus improved in all the offensive categories. His HR's went from 16 to 23, his batting average rose from .251 to .276 and he even added 12 steals. However by September there were rumblings that Rasmus and Manager Tony LaRussa weren't on the same page. There is great ability here and hopefully Colby will continue to develop.
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