Oneil Cruz ‘Would Love’ To Be Face Of Pirates (+)
Oneil Cruz’s first chance at an extended look in the major leagues is officially in the books.
The Pittsburgh Pirates recalled the recently-turned 24-year-old from Triple-A Indianapolis on June 20 and never looked back. Cruz spent the rest of the year wearing a black and gold uniform.
Though there were some growing pains, Cruz flashed the potential that made him one of the top prospects in all of baseball entering the season.
In 87 games with Pittsburgh in 2022, Cruz slashed .233/.294/.450 (106 wRC+) with 17 home runs, 54 RBIs and 11 steals.
“When I evaluate my season and just my time here, honestly I just feel like everything went pretty well,” Cruz said. “I was able to grow so much.”
For a young player, finding your footing at the big league level takes time, but Cruz found his grove and finished the season strong.
In 28 games from Sept. 3 through the end of the season, Cruz hit .298 with a .914 OPS. Arguably the most encouraging sign for Cruz over that stretch is that he was able to decrease his strikeout rate while improving his plate discipline.
“Home runs are gonna come for him,” manager Derek Shelton said on Cruz. “The fact that he’s making more contact and more swing decisions I think are really encouraging signs for us.”
Because of the hype surrounding Cruz as he worked his way up the ranks along with the potential he showed in all facets of the game this year, Cruz is naturally a player Pirates’ fans are pegging as a potential franchise savoir.
The Bucs have been mired in a rebuild ever since Shelton and general manager Ben Cherington took over three years ago.
This year, a number of prospects either made their debuts or carved out significant roles with the big league club and were impactful.
So, does Cruz view himself as the face that turns the 100-loss Pirates into an eventual playoff team?
“I would love to be the face of this franchise but I also understand I got a lot of work to do and I have to work hard. I got to continue working hard for that,” Cruz said.
While Cruz’s upside is well known, there are still some things that the 6-foot-7 shortstop still needs to work on, which he is aware of.
“Defense. And just continuing to get better in my hitting as well,” Cruz said as areas of focus this offseason.
While Cruz committed 17 errors in just 79 games at shortstop this season, he was still on the positive side when it came to defensive runs saved (one DRS).
Still Cruz needs to continue to cleanup some things defensively, specifically his footwork and throws across the diamond.
Even with the defensive questions, there is no denying that Cruz’s ability with the bat is a big boost to an offense that had their struggles throughout the course of the season.
Cruz’s 162 game pace of 33 home runs and 104 would put him in elite company in terms of baseball sluggers.
Only seven players totaled 30+ home runs and 100+ RBIs in 2022 — Aaron Judge, Pete Alonso, Paul Goldschmidt, Matt Olson, Manny Machado, Nolan Arenado and Kyle Tucker.
All seven of those players are heading to the postseason and all seven figure to be towards the top of the MVP race in their respective leagues.
But Cruz thinks he can do even more.
“Many more homeruns than 30, many more RBIs than what you consider. And more than anything just a way better batting average.”
Between the upside, the confidence, and the work ethic, Cruz just might in fact wind up as the face of the Pirates moving forward.