At the conclusion of the 2014 MLB season, Nelson Cruz of the Baltimore Orioles was the only MLB player with 40 home runs. That number was the fewest to lead the majors since Jesse Barfield of the Toronto Blue Jays also hit exactly 40 in 1986, per ESPN Stats & Info.

To put that figure into perspective, fellow Oriole Chris Davis led the majors with 53 long balls in 2013 while Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera was one of five players to eclipse 40 homers in 2012, leading both circuits with 44 in his Triple Crown season.

Inked to a one-year deal prior to the start of the season, Cruz helped lead the Orioles to their first American League East title since 1997 and has now surged them to the American League Championship Series, where they face a 2-0 deficit entering Monday's Game 3 in Kansas City.

Serving primarily as an outfielder and designated hitter, Cruz recorded three more four-baggers than Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins and Chris Carter of the Houston Astros, both of whom gathered 37 in their 2014 campaigns. Rookie Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels were next in line, having each tallied 36 long balls this season.

Cruz was third in the American League in RBI (108), and his slugging percentage (.525) was good for fifth place. He also smacked 32 doubles, which was good enough for the team lead.

The Orioles took a bit of a risk on Cruz when they signed him to a one-year, $8 million dollar deal just a season after he accepted a 50-game suspension for his involvement with the Biogenesis clinic.

With Cruz set to become a free agent next season, he'll likely be one of the top offseason priorities for the Orioles if they want to maintain their dynamic offensive attack, as the team led the majors in homers with 211 this season—25 more than the Colorado Rockies, who hit in the friendly confines of Coors Field.

Getting past the Royals will be their first order of business, however, as the Orioles are looking for their first World Series appearance since they won it back in 1983.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference unless otherwise specified.