'Everybody loves Nelson.' Fellow All-Stars shower praise on Twins' 41-year-old star Nelson Cruz

DENVER — The most reliable All-Star, the man whose success is largely predicated on his strict day-after-day consistency, did something Monday that was more shocking than hitting at a world-class level at the age of 41.

Nelson Cruz was a truant, a no-show.

"My plane broke!" exclaimed the Twins slugger, the only All-Star selection missing from the day's press conferences. "I waited for three hours [Sunday night], but it never showed up."

Cruz finally arranged for another charter jet and arrived at Coors Field as the AL All-Stars were lining up for a team picture, jogging out to center field to join them in the event's first ritual. And then the hugging commenced, with player after player approaching to welcome him to the party.

Turns out, it wasn't necessary for Cruz to attend the press conference after all. He had plenty of spokesmen ready to speak for him and about him.

"Everybody loves Nelson," San Diego's Manny Machado said. "He's probably helped just about everyone here in some way."

Machado included. The infielder was only 21 when Cruz signed with Baltimore in 2014, already a breakthrough star but still just learning about how to behave. Cruz was 33, had established himself as one of the most prolific home run hitter in the game, and a quiet force in the clubhouse. Even his 2013 suspension with 13 other players for being a client of the notorious Biogenesis steroid lab allowed him to serve as a model, in how he accepted his punishment and repaired his reputation.

Nelson Cruz career statistics

"He was a special cat, man. I saw it every day," Machado said of that season, the only one they spent as teammates. "I know how hard he works to be him. It's not every once in awhile, it's not when he feels like it, it's every single day."

Repetition and dedication, consistency and perseverance. They are not the most glamorous traits — "He's a fun guy, but I've never seen someone so serious about what he does to make himself better," said another former teammate, Mets righthander Taijuan Walker — but they pay off. Cruz is among the 50 most prolific home run hitters in major league history, and on Tuesday, he will line up on the third-base line to be introduced as an All-Star for the seventh time, and for his fourth team.

"I have no secrets, I guess. It's nothing exciting," Cruz insisted. "I rest, I work out, I get my naps, and just keep doing what I love."

He never imagined that he would still be doing that at 41, but then again, he can't imagine stopping, either. "I don't want to put a target on [retirement], because I don't feel much different," said the oldest Twins player ever chosen as an All-Star. "I'll keep going as long as someone gives me the opportunity."

Walker, a teammate for two seasons in Seattle, said he has never seen someone whose baseball age matches so poorly with his chronological age, and he cites a familiar reason why.

"I'll tell you what I remember: This dude is in the gym every single day, working and working," Walker said. "He still looks young. He's probably not 41, he's more like 31. If he's 41, then I'd say he looks like he can play till he's 51."

Which is why this All-Star appearance is special, as Cruz has said — but hardly a farewell.

"This is not his last, I can tell you that," Machado said. "You see it all over the game, there are a lot of people who want to push away the old players and celebrate the young guys. But they need guys like him, if they know it or not."

How so? Machado cites his own experience again.

"I learned a lot from him. He was one of the best teammates ever. He taught us how to work, how to find and keep an approach," Machado said. "He's generous. He wants to help you get there, too. I can't think of many guys who are as good a leader as Nelson."