He has all the tools in the world he just needs to use them
36 comments
50 home runs
Not if we’re keeping the same hitting coach
No
Probably if only because his OPS dropped by 100 points year-over-year.
I’d prefer to see him traded. If there are no suitors, let him start in the minors and earn a spot on the big league team.
You gotta go pay a visit to your local psychic
He will not.
He doesn’t have all the tools or he would be better.
A batter that can only hit barely .200 is useless & he is worse at fielding.
Nope
Don’t bet on him too.
It would be hard to be worse, so I’ll actually say yes. But still not up to his potential.
No , but when we trade him – maybe
He was pretty bad for the 2nd half and still was basically 20/40. It depends on if there is now a “book” on him other than low and away sliders.
He probably can’t play worse so yes
Depends. If they nontender and he signs with a real organization I can see him erupting somewhere. If he’s back here next year I can see him getting back to his 110ish OPS+ just as much as I can see him continuing his 2025.
If I’m a baseball coach/exec I’m looking to see why his production cratered after May.
No way. He looks lost at the plate. Reminds me of Pedro Alvarez, in a slightly different way. I always laughed that every curveball Alvarez saw was like the first one he’d ever seen. With Cruz….. pick the pitch. It’s the first time he’s seen it.
Nope. He’s as good as he’s going to get. Flashes of brilliance. He’s the new Gregory Polanco.
He’s well into his Gregory Polanco career trajectory, so no.
He’s a bit of an anomaly.
Looking at the Statcast numbers, the underlying numbers all look pretty similar to last year, with two major exceptions: his XBA this year dropped over 30 points, and his K% went up by 2. His walk rate went up to 11.8%, so he’s obviously seeing the ball well. His GB/FB ratio is almost the exact same as last year when he put up 50 more hits.
My armchair analysis says that there’s something just barely off with his swing mechanics, because all the other numbers say he should still be putting balls through outfielders ala Kung Pow. Baseball’s a hard game, and even the teensiest adjustment is gonna swing (no pun intended) the pendulum one way or another.
If his glove was league average, he’d almost be worth 2 WAR, even with his .200/.298/.378 slash line.
He’s probably a .750 OPS hitter with 30-40 SBs who strikes out way too much. A competitive team would probably DH him 30% of the time or move him to RF.
I don’t think we’re going to get a break out year. Maybe a few more dingers to 26-28. I’m more concerned about the other OF options which are old and none.
I understand the general consensus here but I think if the pirates spent on the team and the lineup the players would play better. Adding in two or three batters would likely need to be what happens and i guess it will never get done but if it did I would think hed be better. Oneil to me seems like the type of player that would get better the second he leaves the pirates which seems pretty common the last 30 years
Here? No.
After he’s traded to another team? Absolutely.
He lost a lot of motivation when we we’re not going to be anywhere near the playoffs. I believe most of the team felt that way.
For his new team, yes. He’ll get moved in the off season and hit 40 HRs like he should be doing here. He clearly gives no fucks playing in Pittsburgh.
No. He’s regressed. He obviously doesn’t care out there. Doesn’t hustle. Looks like he hates playing baseball. He’s a bum.
Guy barely batted .200, hit 20ish HRs, stole some bases, plays shit defense, and we lift him up like he’s some future superstar just because of Homer fans. Every hitter in the Yankees lineup has 20 HRs. Cruz isn’t special.
I’d say trade him but BC doesn’t know how to get good returns for guys like him.
No
No, probably not.
Yes.
Well, we’ll have the same manager & coaching staff that couldn’t figure him out this year. So, if he changes, it’ll need to come from him.
Maybe if he realizes in arbitration the money he’s leaving on the table by not trying harder. Probably beat case scenario.
Depends on whether or not he plays for the Pirates
No
Even my most pessimistic projections for him will be at least slightly better than this season, so I’ll say yes
If they give him a bat with a barrel that’s twice as big and a glove that’s also twice as big, maybe.
Are we getting a new batting coach, a new opponent pitching analyst, a focus on pre and post at bat analysis, and a consistent batting order so everyone knows what’s what?
Or, win the entire team just wait and see what happens?
36 comments
50 home runs
Not if we’re keeping the same hitting coach
No
Probably if only because his OPS dropped by 100 points year-over-year.
I’d prefer to see him traded. If there are no suitors, let him start in the minors and earn a spot on the big league team.
You gotta go pay a visit to your local psychic
He will not.
He doesn’t have all the tools or he would be better.
A batter that can only hit barely .200 is useless & he is worse at fielding.
Nope
Don’t bet on him too.
It would be hard to be worse, so I’ll actually say yes. But still not up to his potential.
No , but when we trade him – maybe
He was pretty bad for the 2nd half and still was basically 20/40. It depends on if there is now a “book” on him other than low and away sliders.
He probably can’t play worse so yes
Depends. If they nontender and he signs with a real organization I can see him erupting somewhere. If he’s back here next year I can see him getting back to his 110ish OPS+ just as much as I can see him continuing his 2025.
If I’m a baseball coach/exec I’m looking to see why his production cratered after May.
No way. He looks lost at the plate. Reminds me of Pedro Alvarez, in a slightly different way. I always laughed that every curveball Alvarez saw was like the first one he’d ever seen. With Cruz….. pick the pitch. It’s the first time he’s seen it.
Nope. He’s as good as he’s going to get. Flashes of brilliance. He’s the new Gregory Polanco.
He’s well into his Gregory Polanco career trajectory, so no.
He’s a bit of an anomaly.
Looking at the Statcast numbers, the underlying numbers all look pretty similar to last year, with two major exceptions: his XBA this year dropped over 30 points, and his K% went up by 2. His walk rate went up to 11.8%, so he’s obviously seeing the ball well. His GB/FB ratio is almost the exact same as last year when he put up 50 more hits.
My armchair analysis says that there’s something just barely off with his swing mechanics, because all the other numbers say he should still be putting balls through outfielders ala Kung Pow. Baseball’s a hard game, and even the teensiest adjustment is gonna swing (no pun intended) the pendulum one way or another.
If his glove was league average, he’d almost be worth 2 WAR, even with his .200/.298/.378 slash line.
He’s probably a .750 OPS hitter with 30-40 SBs who strikes out way too much. A competitive team would probably DH him 30% of the time or move him to RF.
I don’t think we’re going to get a break out year. Maybe a few more dingers to 26-28. I’m more concerned about the other OF options which are old and none.
I understand the general consensus here but I think if the pirates spent on the team and the lineup the players would play better. Adding in two or three batters would likely need to be what happens and i guess it will never get done but if it did I would think hed be better. Oneil to me seems like the type of player that would get better the second he leaves the pirates which seems pretty common the last 30 years
Here? No.
After he’s traded to another team? Absolutely.
He lost a lot of motivation when we we’re not going to be anywhere near the playoffs. I believe most of the team felt that way.
For his new team, yes. He’ll get moved in the off season and hit 40 HRs like he should be doing here. He clearly gives no fucks playing in Pittsburgh.
No. He’s regressed. He obviously doesn’t care out there. Doesn’t hustle. Looks like he hates playing baseball. He’s a bum.
Guy barely batted .200, hit 20ish HRs, stole some bases, plays shit defense, and we lift him up like he’s some future superstar just because of Homer fans. Every hitter in the Yankees lineup has 20 HRs. Cruz isn’t special.
I’d say trade him but BC doesn’t know how to get good returns for guys like him.
No
No, probably not.
Yes.
Well, we’ll have the same manager & coaching staff that couldn’t figure him out this year. So, if he changes, it’ll need to come from him.
Maybe if he realizes in arbitration the money he’s leaving on the table by not trying harder. Probably beat case scenario.
Depends on whether or not he plays for the Pirates
No
Even my most pessimistic projections for him will be at least slightly better than this season, so I’ll say yes
If they give him a bat with a barrel that’s twice as big and a glove that’s also twice as big, maybe.
Are we getting a new batting coach, a new opponent pitching analyst, a focus on pre and post at bat analysis, and a consistent batting order so everyone knows what’s what?
Or, win the entire team just wait and see what happens?
No