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The Pittsburgh Pirates will move Oneil Cruz to centerfield, and the hard-hitting shortstop will look to Fernando Tatis Jr. for help.
The positional switch, which the team announced Monday, makes sense on paper. Cruz has elite speed and arm strength, making him the perfect defensive outfield weapon. Asked if the change will be permanent, Pirates manager Derek Shelton indicated that may be the case.
“I think right now, we’re looking at him as a center fielder,” he told Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
It's an adjustment, however, and with the Pirates out of contention, now might be the time to see how the 25-year-old handles it.
Cruz took a good first step on Tuesday, telling MLB.com's Alex Stumpf through interpreter Stephen Morales that he plans to seek advice from Tatis. The San Diego Padres outfielder made a similar transition, coming up as a shortstop before becoming primarily a right fielder. Tatis won a Gold Glove for his work in right in 2023.
The Pirates placed centerfielder Michael A. Taylor on waivers over the weekend, and while he can still play for Pittsburgh until he is claimed, it indicates he and his $4 million salary are not part of the team's plans moving forward.
Though Cruz has played one career Major League game in the outfield, he picked up limited experience there in the minors, playing 10 games in left field in Triple-A.
Oneil Cruz can be the centerpiece to the Pirates' immediate future
There's no question that Cruz possesses superstar tools. He's become known for his ability to smash Statcast records, starting with his Major League debut when he recorded the hardest Pirates hit in the Statcast era ( 118.2 mph). Earlier this season, he set two more records in the same game, first by becoming the first player ever to record an exit velocity of 120 mph, then becoming the first to ever have three 115 mph hits in the same game.
No matter where he plays defensively, Cruz's bat remains his biggest gift. His 2024 offensive numbers don't jump off the page, but he's rebounded from a mediocre start. Since July 3, he's hitting .315 with a .916 OPS. His strikeout rate is still way too high (31.7%), but when he makes contact, he's punishing pitchers to the tune of a .363 BAbip.
More germane to his outfield move, Cruz also recorded the hardest-thrown infield assist of the season as a rookie, firing a 97.8 mph rocket to first base in 2022.
If Cruz is able to make the outfield transition work, it could set the Pirates up well for the future. Pittsburgh acquired Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline amid the best offensive year of the 29-year-old's career. He's under contract for one more season at a reasonable $7.5 million, while Cruz has four more years of team control.
Two-time All-Star Bryan Reynolds is signed through 2031. Him, Cruz, Kiner-Falefa, and Ke'Bryan Hayes (provided he rebounds from a tough year beset by injury) provide a solid core for Pittsburgh to build around. They're also all affordable, with Reynolds the highest-paid, but due only $12.5 million next year.
