Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz has not exactly lived up to expectations thus far, but on Tuesday night, he demonstrated why he was once a top prospect and gave Pirates fans hope of what he could potentially become in the future.
During the Pirates' win over the San Francisco Giants, Cruz smashed two of the hardest hit balls of the 2024 season.
Exit velocity is a big stat nowadays. People love using it. Not necessarily to get a good idea of how well a hitter is doing (although it is a decent barometer), but just for the “wow” factor.
Typically, exit velocity is dominated by sluggers like Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge. It seems like Stanton in particular is always breaking his own record for the hardest hit ball, but now Cruz has entered the fray and provided Stanton with some fierce competition.
The best part about Cruz's two laser hits against the Giants was that they came after he made a crucial error earlier in the game. Talk about a great way to channel your frustration.
Oneil Cruz has been a disappointment for the Pirates overall
Cruz is one of the more interesting players in baseball. Why? Because he is a 6-foot-7 shortstop. No, that is not a typo.
He was also one of the game's top prospects a couple of years ago, ranking 12th in Baseball Prospectus' top 100 list heading into 2022.
However, Cruz has actually been somewhat of a disappointment throughout the early stages of his big-league career.
The 25-year-old broke into the majors briefly in 2021, playing two games and going 3-for-9 with a home run and three RBI. The following year, Cruz received significantly more playing time, appearing in 87 contests and slashing .233/.294/.450 with 17 homers and 54 RBI. So, he flashed some pop, but his overall stat line was relatively uninspiring.
Cruz then missed all but nine games in 2023 due to a leg injury.
Many felt that 2024 would represent a breakout year for the Dominican native, but instead, he has slashed just .250/.295/.424 with seven long balls and 18 RBI across 183 plate appearances. Again, Cruz is displaying some power, but his plate discipline leaves a lot to be desired.
Contrast that to Cruz's career minor-league slash line, which sits at .275/.341/.458. He obviously wasn't exactly an on-base wizard in the minors, but he was at least getting on base at a respectable clip. That has not been the case on the major-league level.
It would be one thing if Cruz were rather pedestrian offensively while being slick in the field, but Cruz is not a good defensive shortstop, as evidenced by his miserable minus-26.5 UZR/150 this season. For those thinking it's a small sample size, he posted a minus-15.4 UZR/150 over 678 innings at shortstop in 2022.
Cruz was mainly considered an elite prospect because of his bat, but even that part of his game has been failing him thus far.
Perhaps Cruz is beginning to break out of it, though. After a 1-for-17 four-game stretch, Cruz went 3-for-5 with a couple of doubles and an RBI on Tuesday evening. He also doubled against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.
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