Daniel Clark: Where would O's be without Cruz?

As the Orioles continue their inconsistent season, which between short-term winning and losing streaks has left them with a fragile record of 29-27, their most valuable player through 56 games continues to shine.

Nelson Cruz was a late signing for the O's, having only inked a deal in the last week of February. At the time, the one-year deal worth a reported $8 million was touted as being an absolute bargain for the O's. Now, almost a third of the way through the season, it's become evident that not only was it a bargain, but it's also saved their season from becoming a complete disaster.

Having appeared in all but one of the team's games, Cruz owns an impressive slash line of .313/.384/1.062 and leads the major leagues with 21 home runs and 55 RBIs. However, these statistics alone don't do justice to Cruz's impressive performances, as it's been his situational hitting which has been even more impressive.

Just as they did during the 2012 and 2013 seasons, the O's have been involved in many close games, with 30 of the 56 games being decided by two runs or less. With this comes an increased level of importance on the hitters to perform in the clutch and thus far, Cruz has performed better than any when it matters most.

With scores either tied or with the O's trailing, Cruz's output has been exceptional, as highlighted below:

* When ahead: .297 average (19-for-64), five home runs, 18 RBIs
* When tied: .303 average (20-for-66), six home runs, 15 RBIs
* When behind: .333 average (26-for-78), 10 home runs, 22 RBIs

In addition to his impressive performances when the O's have desperately needed runs, Cruz has also been impressive with runners in scoring position, including in two-out situations.

* With runners in scoring position: .327 average (18-for-55), four home runs, 32 RBIs
* With two outs and runners in scoring position: .318 average (7-for-22), one home run, 11 RBIs

All of the numbers noted above are even more remarkable when casting an eye over Cruz's career. To put his impressive clutch numbers this season into context, since making his debut for the Milwaukee Brewers in September 2005, Cruz has worked to an average of just .254 (283-for-1,115) when his team has been trailing. That's significantly lower than the mark he's posted this season.

His career average of .292 (238-for-816) with runners in scoring position is impressive, but still considerably lower than his 2014 mark and his career average of .271 (105-for-388) with RISP and two outs is also much lower than what's he's managed to achieve in 2014.

All things considered, Cruz's performance through the first 10 weeks of the season has been even more impressive than most people are giving him credit for. His overall numbers only tell half the story, as his true value has come in clutch situations when the Orioles have needed it the most.

As the season progresses and the O's continue their quest to stay in touch with the American League East-leading Toronto Blue Jays, Cruz must continue to build upon this impressive start or else the O's may find it difficult to win the close games.

What are your thoughts on Cruz's season thus far and where would the O's be without him?

Daniel Clark blogs about the Orioles at The Big Leagues Daily from Melbourne, Australia. Follow him on Twitter: @DC_TBLDaily. His thoughts on the O's appear here as part of MASNsports.com's continuing commitment to welcome guest bloggers to our little corner of cyberspace. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.