Introducing your latest Pittsburgh Pirates heart fielder, 6-foot-7 Oneil Cruz. I believe we’ve met earlier than, albeit you had been a shortstop as of 72 hours in the past.
The Pirates made one of the vital abrupt strikes of the 2024 season on Monday when supervisor Derek Shelton formally introduced to the media, “I believe as of proper now, we’re taking a look at him (Cruz) as a middle fielder.” The Pirates are dedicated to Cruz studying heart subject and turning into an outfielder. He’s achieved enjoying shortstop. The experiment is over.
Simply eight days prior, the Pirates had been adamant Cruz was their on a regular basis man at one of many sport’s most vital positions. Issues modified per week later. So what occurred?
Cruz owns 24 errors in 112 video games, second worst in all of baseball behind Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz (26). His .939 fielding share ranks fourth worst amongst certified fielders.
There’s no denying the daunting job of enjoying quick whenever you’re 6-foot-7. Coming off of season-ending ankle surgical procedure after solely 9 video games final season hasn’t performed in his favor. Nor does his inconsistency
When Cruz almost collided with left fielder Bryan Reynolds in Houston on a play the place he traveled about 100 toes from quick to attempt to catch a fly ball close to the road in left, all the pieces modified. Cruz dedicated three errors that day. A 4-0 Pirates lead, seeking to sweep the mighty Astros on the street, evaporated right into a 5-4 loss.
The Pirates are 7-18 since.
Cruz, 25, is outlined by many as a unicorn of an athlete and holds five-tool potential in his body. He’s the tallest shortstop in baseball historical past. He uncorks over 100 mph throws to first base frequently. It’s most likely a consider why he was moved from the place and sometimes put Rowdy Tellez and/or Connor Joe in a tough place to select his errant throws. Typically issues don’t work out.
So, is it the best transfer? There’s no denying Cruz’s offensive potential is a big plus at shortstop.
Cruz owns a 20-game on-base streak that features a .370 common (27 for 73), eight doubles, one dwelling run, and 9 RBIs. His .384 batting common in August is second to the most well liked baseball participant on the planet and a man seeking to break his personal American League dwelling run report in Aaron Decide (.413).
He’s hitting .429 in his final 4 video games and has stolen 4 bases. On the season, Cruz owns a .273/.300/.475 slash line with 31 doubles, 18 dwelling runs, 65 RBIs, and a .805 OPS. The offensive upside is a big plus at a traditionally weak offensive place. An analogous assertion could be mentioned for heart subject, the place the Pirates haven’t seen any manufacturing since Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte.
The cruel actuality is Cruz’s protection was too insufferable for the Pirates to proceed down the trail of believing Cruz can determine issues out on the left aspect of the infield. On August 18, common supervisor Ben Cherington confidently acknowledged that Oneil Cruz was their shortstop. Eight days later, the Pirates solely view Cruz as an outfielder, particularly in heart subject slightly than a nook.
So what modified? Once I requested Derek Shelton, he talked about inside conversations that went into the choice and in the end knowledgeable Cruz up to now few days.
The Pirates making this drastic transfer with Oneil Cruz means two issues:
1. After they acquired Isaiah Kiner-Falefa, it was with the intention of him being the on a regular basis shortstop.
2. They don’t consider they’re nonetheless in a playoff race. In that case, this large of a transfer wouldn’t be experimented with.
The entire course of is odd and doesn’t make sense. The Pirates proclaimed they had been going to ease Cruz into the place and provides him time to get comfy. He DH’d on Monday and Tuesday however began in heart for the primary time on Wednesday, two days after the choice was formally made.
Shelton and the Pirates need to see Cruz carry out in sport motion to find out what to do with him shifting ahead. They wouldn’t be doing this in the event that they nonetheless believed the Pirates may attain the playoffs. An experiment as excessive as this solely applies after waiving the white flag. It’s laborious to assume in any other case after being swept by the Chicago Cubs and permitting 41 runs in three video games. By the way in which, Mitch Keller, Jared Jones, and Paul Skenes began the three matchups. The Pirates blew a 10-3 lead from the seventh inning on Wednesday, which was arguably the worst lack of the season. It is a full catastrophe.
So, perhaps it’s the right time to experiment with Cruz in a brand new place. I’d have slightly waited till the top of the season – there are solely 30 video games left – and labored with Cruz all through the offseason and spring coaching to be prepared for opening day 2025 in PNC Park’s spacious outfield. As a substitute, Cruz made his first begin on Wednesday after solely in the future of prior pregame apply.
In his first throw dwelling on a bang-bang play on the plate, Cruz deposited the toughest throw by a Pirates outfielder in 2024 and the second-hardest throw of any outfielder in baseball this season. He was charged an error after catcher Yasmani Grandal couldn’t decide a one-hopper dwelling, nevertheless it wasn’t Cruz’s fault the ball acquired to the backstop on a play on the plate.
“He did job,” Shelton mentioned after the sport Wednesday. “He threw the ball to the best base. Made throw to the plate. He’s going to should learn to long-hop. The opposite instances, he threw to the best base. He did a pleasant job.”
Cruz did higher than I anticipated for his first time on the market. It’s the best transfer for the long run, however a conflicting one within the current. Cruz goes to make errors. There will likely be rising pains. The Pirates know that and even categorical it. That doesn’t excuse the truth that this sudden and abrupt transfer solidifies one other misplaced season of under-.500 baseball.
Might Cruz turn into the following Omar Moreno? A 6-foot-2 heart fielder who additionally hit from the left aspect, Moreno is likely one of the taller heart fielders in Pirates historical past and was a key clog of the 1979 World Sequence workforce. Jazz Chisholm is likely to be the perfect comparability for Cruz. Chisholm began as an infielder, moved to heart subject, grew to become an MLB The Present video-game cowl athlete, after which moved again to the infield after being traded to the New York Yankees on the commerce deadline.
Regardless, Oneil Cruz is likely one of the most vital gamers within the Pirates group. They tousled growing him to turn into defensive shortstop. If they will’t flip their residing unicorn right into a star within the outfield, extra vital adjustments will come to the North Shore than Cruz shifting to a distinct place.
