‘I Felt Good,’ Pirates’ Oneil Cruz Gets First Chance in Center Field

It didn’t take long for Oneil Cruz to get tested for the first time as a center fielder. 

The former shortstop made his center field debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park on Wednesday afternoon. 

Cubs leadoff hitter Ian Happ hit a liner into the left-center gap on the second pitch of the game from Paul Skenes. While Happ got a double out of it, Cruz raced to his right, cut the ball off and fired to Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who was serving in Cruz’s more familiar position as the cutoff man.

“It was good,” Cruz said through coach/interpreter Stephen Morales on getting tested early. “A ground ball, I’m used to catching ground balls. I was more worried, at that time, of the fly balls a little bit, but it went fine.”

Cruz’s transition from shortstop to center field was quick. It was only after Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Reds that the Pirates informed the 25-year-old that he will have to learn a new position.

During the first two games of the series against the Cubs, Cruz was in the lineup as the Pirates’ designated hitter and did work pregame with the Pirates’ coaching staff out in center field.

Roughly 72 hours after his last rep as a shortstop, Cruz trotted out to center field at the start of Wednesday’s game.

“I felt good,” he said. “Not like playing shortstop, but I felt pretty good.”

No matter how much behind-the-scenes work Cruz does to prepare, there is no equivalent to game reps.

His first time patrolling center, overall, was smooth. 

“He did a good job,” said manager Derek Shelton. “He threw the ball to the right base, made a good throw to the plate. He’s gonna have to learn how to long hop, it kind of short-hopped. But I mean the other times he threw the ball to the right base. He had two fly balls. He did a nice job

Though he didn’t get too many opportunities, Cruz was charged with a questionable throwing error in the second inning. With Nico Hoerner standing on second, Pete Crow-Armstrong singled up the middle and Cruz fired a laser to home plate, but not in time to get Hoerner. Catcher Yasmani Grandal couldn’t corral what appeared to be a relatively easy one-hopper, and the error was charged to Cruz.

Cruz recorded his first putout on the first pitch of the sixth inning when a routine fly ball off the bat of Cody Bellinger made its way into Cruz’s teal outfielder’s glove. He also recorded the final out of a six-run ninth inning that ended up sinking the Pirates in an unimaginable loss. 

Despite having to learn a new position on the fly, Cruz said on Tuesday that he’s not worried about his offense suffering while shifting his focus from the infield dirt to the outfield grass.

“I don’t think it will matter,” he said with a smile with Morales translating. “I’m a guy that if you let me, I’ll hit every inning. I like to hit.”

So far, so good. Cruz doubled in the second inning as part of a two-hit performance to extend his on-base streak to 20 games and push his hitting streak to nine. On Tuesday, Cruz went 4 for 4 with a sacrifice fly, a double and two RBIs.

Cruz should continue to get plenty of opportunities during the final month of the season. Between learning a new position and his performance at the plate, he makes for one of the more compelling storylines as the finish line gets closer.