Oneil Cruz has just about as much physical talent as any player in baseball.
If he can put it together consistently, the Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder can be one of the best players in MLB.
It’s consistency that has eluded Cruz for much of his MLB career, though.
In a new article this week, ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez named Cruz as the player he’s watching most closely this spring for the Pirates. He, and everyone else, wants to see if Cruz can find his way toward fully blossoming into his best self.
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Last season, an injury and position change may have contributed to a downturn that Cruz hopes is temporary.
“Cruz’s second season removed from a fractured fibula was nowhere near as productive as the Pirates might have anticipated,” Gonzalez writes. “From 2024 to 2025, his OPS dropped from .773 to .676 and his expected batting average dropped from .259 to .218. But he still hits the ball incredibly hard, swings the bat incredibly fast, displays game-changing speed and arm strength to boot, and he did draw more walks last season. He’s also only 26 years old, coming off his first full season in center field.”
It’s those tools that are going to bring people back to Cruz again and again. This has to work, doesn’t it?
“Cruz had a productive offseason, and the Pirates are hoping there’s still a superstar in there somewhere,” Gonzalez writes.
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Pittsburgh has had a productive offseason, too. The Pirates made upgrades to their lineup with free agent signings and trades in a way that isn’t the norm for them.
Cruz becomes the X-factor. Those moves make Pittsburgh better. But it would be a leap to superstardom by Cruz that would make the Pirates legitimately good.
There’s still reason to believe. It’s up to Cruz to deliver.
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