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After a hot start to the season the Pittsburgh Pirates have fallen out of the playoff picture with a rough second half. The brutal drop off will likely keep Pittsburgh out of the postseason for the ninth straight year. Pirates manager Derek Shelton is on the hot seat as the team is on pace for its fifth losing season since he became Pittsburgh’s skipper in 2020.
While it appears the Pirates are playing out another lost season, the team is shaking some things up. Shelton announced that Oneil Cruz will move from his usual position at shortstop to center field, according to MLB.com’s Alex Stumpf. When asked if the move would be permanent, Shelton said, “I think as of right now, we’re looking at him as a center fielder,” per Stumpf.
Cruz has been the Pirates’ primary shortstop since his rookie season in 2022. Shortstop is the only position Cruz has played this season, with 107 starts at short and two starts at designated hitter. In fact, entering play on Monday, Cruz has never played center field in the majors. He did record one start in left field in 2022.
The fourth-year player has demonstrated his value to the Pirates at the plate. Cruz has 29 doubles, 18 home runs, 63 RBI and 57 runs scored with a .792 OPS and an OPS+ of 120 so far this season. He’s up to 2.5 bWAR in 117 games for Pittsburgh this year. He also has two of the hardest hit balls in the majors this season.
The Pirates are removing Oneil Cruz from shortstop
However, it’s been a different story in the field for Cruz. His 24 errors on the season are the second most in baseball behind only Elly De La Cruz. His -3.4 UZR is 103rd overall in the majors and 18th among shortstops.
The Pirates brought in Gold Glove infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa in a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline. Kiner-Falefa had primarily been filling in at second base while Nick Gonzales was on the injured list with a left groin strain. With Gonzales' return, the Pirates will shift Kiner-Falefa to shortstop and move Cruz to center.
The team realizes they need to keep Cruz’s bat in the lineup but perhaps shortstop isn’t the best fit for the 25 year old. A move to center field would take advantage of Cruz’s athleticism but the Pirates are asking him to switch to a position he’s never played at the pro level.
Of course, this season appears to be the ideal time to experiment with position changes. Despite the blindingly bright spot of starter Paul Skenes, who’s the frontrunner in the NL Rookie of the Year race, Pittsburgh is 62-68 entering play on Monday. The team has gone just 14-20 since returning from the All-Star break, with a 10-game losing streak in that span.
The Pirates are now 13 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and eight games back in the Wild Card standings. The team last made the playoffs in 2015 and is on pace for its eighth losing season in the last nine years.
