Nelson Cruz has appreciated a fresh start with the Baltimore Orioles this season after enduring a forgettable 2013 season.

Cruz served a 50-game suspension last August for performance-enhancing drug use. He also fired his agent to further remove himself from the Biogenesis scandal.

"Everywhere I went last year, it was a mess," he said.

"No doubt [it was the hardest year of my life]. Not just for me, for my family. I think my family had it worse than anything else. People asked me last year how I was able to play that well, how I was able to deal with the pressure of having all that stuff out there. I said it was easy because I had God, I had my family with me. But the hard part was for my family, I know they got it pretty bad. For me, I go out there and control what I can and do my job on the field. For my family, it's hard, because they can't do anything about it but watch and see and listen."