Kevin Gorman’s Take 5: Oneil Cruz passes 1st test of spring training in Pirates' home opener

BRADENTON, Fla. — Mitch Keller was in the middle of answering a question about working with catcher Yasmani Grandal on Sunday when the Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher interrupted his own thought.

“Sorry,” Keller said, as he stared at the clubhouse television. “Oneil just hit one off this building. That’s crazy.”

Oneil Cruz continues to impress the Pirates with his power at the plate, whether it’s by hitting batting practice bombs or the shot Keller was describing that sailed into foul territory at LECOM Park.

The big question is how Cruz’s surgically repaired left ankle would hold up when the 6-foot-7 shortstop returned to the infield.

Pirates ace Mitch Keller on catcher Yasmani Grandal encouraging him to throw a pitch outside his comfort zone. pic.twitter.com/iUKvFLwlmp

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 25, 2024

1. Lateral move

Pirates manager Derek Shelton got to see what he wanted in the first inning of the Grapefruit League opener, when Cruz passed his first test of spring training.

After Keller walked leadoff batter Colton Cowser, Ryan Mountcastle hit a grounder to short. Cruz went to his left to field the ball, then stepped on second and threw to Rowdy Tellez at first to turn a double play.

????ONEIL CRUZ DOUBLE PLAY???? pic.twitter.com/BZMp6EXZvs

— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) February 25, 2024

“It was very nice,” Shelton said. “Not that we scripted it, but the second hitter of the game, he gets a ground ball where he has to move laterally. That was nice to see. I think it was just getting him reps and kind of making sure he does different things. But to see him be able to move and turn the double play like that, that was very encouraging.”

Next, the Pirates want to see Cruz running the bases. The final test will be to see how he handles sliding into a bag, which is how he got hurt.

2. Pitching extension

The five-year, $77 million contract extension through 2028 the Pirates gave to Keller bought out three years of free agency.

Extending a starting pitcher is such a rarity for the Pirates that I couldn’t remember the last time they did so before he reached free agency.

Ethan Hullihen, who tracks the Pirates’ payroll and transactions, did some research and found that it was the first extension for a starting pitcher in a decade.

The Pirates signed Charlie Morton to a three-year, $21 million deal in December 2013 that bought out two years of free agency and had an option for a third year. Of course, they traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies two years later for David Whitehead.

The most recent pitcher the Pirates extended was closer Felipe (Rivero) Vazquez, to a four-year deal worth $22 million guaranteed in January 2018.

That didn’t turn out so well, either.

3. Catching up

Where Henry Davis caught five innings in the opener, Grandal spent only three innings behind the plate in his Pirates debut.

That has something to do with seniority, as Grandal is a 12-year veteran who wants to save his legs for the season. Shelton said he’ll build his innings like a starting pitcher, increasing by one or two throughout spring training.

“I think he’ll probably go three the first couple, then four and five,” Shelton said. “He caught Mitch and (Dauri) Moreta. It’s just making sure he catches our guys. Just easing him into it, then the fact that we have competition at that other spot, just trying to get those guys as many innings as possible also.”

After he came out of the game, Grandal spent some time in the clubhouse talking with 2023 No. 1 overall pick Paul Skenes. Grandal also is working behind the scenes with Davis and Endy Rodriguez, who is out for the season after elbow surgery, as well as Jason Delay and Ali Sanchez.

“It’s been good,” Shelton said. “He has fit into our clubhouse very well. He came as advertised. Everybody we talked to talked about how much of a pro he was, how hard he works, how he goes about his day. We’ve seen that really play out.”

Two Run Triple by OF Edward Olivares @Pirates #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/WusISo21vu

— Pittsburgh Pirates Player Development Report (@PGHplayerDev) February 24, 2024

4. Doing extra

When the Pirates acquired Edward Olivares from the Kansas City Royals, it was to add a right-handed hitter for outfield depth.

Both Shelton and general manager Ben Cherington knew Olivares from their days with the Toronto Blue Jays, and got good scouting reports from Kansas City about how hard he works.

And how hard he hits.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Olivares had 39 extra-base hits — 23 doubles, four triples and 12 home runs — in 107 games for the Royals last season, and the Pirates think he can be productive for them.

“He’s got the ability to drive the ball out of the ballpark,” Shelton said. “Athletic. I think we’ll see him move around the outfield spots. It’s more, now, just getting a chance to watch him, because we haven’t had actual game looks at him in person.”

In his Pirates debut at the Minnesota Twins on Saturday, Olivares hit a two-out, two-run triple to the right-center gap to score Davis and Canaan Smith-Njigba to tie the game in the third inning.

Great angle of said play
pic.twitter.com/dBn2RuDkRN

— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) February 25, 2024

5. Starting at second

Liover Peguero has grown up quite a bit since his first spring training with the Pirates, when he brought a huge speaker into the clubhouse, and is taking his opportunity to compete for a starting job very seriously.

Peguero made a strong impression defensively with a web gem in the fourth inning against the Orioles on Sunday, when he made a diving stop to his left of a Heston Kjerstad sharp grounder.

Shelton called it a “great play” but was just as excited with Peguero’s enthusiastic reaction, pumping his fists to celebrate.

“The thing that excited me the most was not only that he made the play but his reaction after the play,” Shelton said. “That shows like, ‘All right, it’s Game 2 of spring training and it’s the fourth inning’ and the excitement. These guys know there’s a competition at that position, so to see him show that kind of enthusiasm made me smile.”