Today, Statcast unveiled that they now track bat speed. Oneil Cruz ranks second in the majors in average bat speed, right between Giancarlo Stanton (first) and Kyle Schwarber (third). Those guys have both had seasons where they've hit ~50 HRs. This kind of confirms what we already knew from Oneil Cruz's average exit velocities, which is that he has light tower power.
Besides his occasional problems with plate approach, he does have a tendency to hit the ball on the ground (as evidenced by his bottom fifth of the league launch angle sweet spot % in 2022-2024). But if he fixes these issues he could be a yearly threat to hit over 40+ HR.
4 comments
He’s gonna hit 40 at some point. I just hope it is before he leaves in free agency or via trade with a year of team control left some day.
He is the most dynamic Pirates player I have seen in my lifetime, which is high praise since that was previously McCutchen.
Cruz is my favorite baseball player and man I would love for him to tap into some higher-end potential.
I feel like his floor is going to be a .235 average and 25 homers, which is fine.
But his ceiling could easily include 40+ bombs as well. That would be so exciting to watch.
I just want him to put 5+ balls into the Allegheny every year.
This would be great if he was a golfer.