Oneil Cruz working hard to stay at shortstop for Pirates, remain baseball's biggest oddity

BRADENTON, Fla. — Even as Oneil Cruz attempts to overcome an oxymoron — as a 6-foot-7 shortstop — he can’t escape the hyperbole of being compared to a mythical creature with magical powers.

Cruz is known as baseball’s unicorn because of his unique blend of size, speed and power after setting Statcast records for both the hardest hit and throw across the infield as a Pittsburgh Pirates rookie last season.

“The oddity part will always be there just because it’s such an outlier of how big he is,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said. “The most important thing is people just look at him as a shortstop now. That’s how we view him. We view him as a guy that’s going to play shortstop for us.

“He’s always going to be a little bit of that unicorn because there’s nobody that big playing in the middle of the diamond. I think the fact that people are starting to look at him as a shortstop is a really positive sign.”

Oneil Cruz takes cuts at Pirate City pic.twitter.com/CpUcOhSIzH

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 15, 2023

‘He’s got a huge upside’

While attempting to solidify his standing as the tallest player ever to start at his position, Cruz shared a statistical goal that would make him even more legendary: He wants to join the 30-30 club for home runs and stolen bases in a season, if not the even more exclusive 40-40 club that has been accomplished by only four players in major-league history.

“He probably has the talent to do it, absolutely,” Atlanta Braves manager Brian Snitker said of Cruz at Grapefruit League media day Thursday in Dunedin. “Guys like that, the sky’s the limit.”

Snitker was in the visiting dugout when the left-handed hitting Cruz crushed a Kyle Wright fastball at an exit velocity of 122.4 mph off the top of the Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park for a single late last August to break Giancarlo Stanton’s Statcast record of 122.2 mph.

“I was just glad someone wasn’t sitting in that seat against us with that hit because he would’ve killed them,” Snitker said.

“He’s another one of those young guys with unbelievable talents. He’s got a nice future, I know that.”

Cruz hit 17 home runs and had 10 stolen bases in 87 games last season, so the 30-30 goal is not out of the question. Those numbers project to 31 homers and almost 19 steals over a 162-game season. Stolen bases are expected to increase with baseball’s rules changes, with bigger bases and pitchers limited to two pick-off throws to first per batter.

Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde couldn’t help but notice Cruz’s “crazy tools” during a three-game series last year and doesn’t doubt he’s talented enough to join Jose Canseco (42-40 in 1988), Barry Bonds (42-40 in 1996), Alex Rodriguez (42-46 in 1998) and Alfonso Soriano (46-41 in 2006) as the fifth player to hit 40 homers and steal 40 bases.

“I think he’s got huge upside of what kind of player he can be,” Hyde said at Grapefruit League media day. “He’s got the talent to do it, for sure. … He definitely has the athleticism, speed and the power to put together those type of years. You’ve got to stay healthy, play every day. Guys that are that talented, they have a chance.”

Finding his footing

For all of his strengths, Cruz spent the bulk of his offseason working on his weaknesses. The first order was to improve his defense after 10 of his 17 errors in 87 games at shortstop came on throws.

The focal point for Cruz in spring training will be to eliminate the errors, especially those made because of poor fundamentals. With the range his size provides and a rocket for a right arm — he recorded the fastest throw on an assist at 97.8 mph last July at Miami — Cruz has the tools to make almost any play, but attempting to do so also can lead to mishaps.

Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz taking ground balls Saturday morning at Pirate City. pic.twitter.com/Eo4DxjTpK0

— Kevin Gorman (@KevinGormanPGH) February 18, 2023

“Mainly, it’s a footwork thing because the one thing that height does provide is having to move his feet and get himself underneath him,” Shelton said. “The other factor that he’s going to continue to learn and grow on is he throws as well as anybody in the game, and he’s got a weapon there with his arm. As you’re learning the major-league game, at times when you get rushed, you try to rely on that. I think we saw a couple of his routine errors last year where he just tried to rely on his arm, and he can’t do that. That’s why the footwork and being able to do that is still going to be so important.”

The Pirates made their commitment to Cruz clear when they traded their longest-tenured player, 2021 Gold Glove finalist Kevin Newman, to the Cincinnati Reds in November.

They also took steps to expedite Cruz’s development, surrounding him with fellow Dominicans. Mendy Lopez, a seven-year major-league veteran, was hired as infield coach. They signed 13-year veteran first baseman Carlos Santana. And the leading candidate to start at second base is Rodolfo Castro, whom Cruz called his preferred double-play partner because of their communication and connection.

Cruz also showed a sign of maturity when asked how much the arrivals of established first basemen in Santana and Ji-Man Choi will help, taking it upon himself to make better throws across the diamond instead of blaming the bevy of converted middle infielders and outfielders who played the position out of necessity last year.

“It can go either way. They can help me a lot or they can not help at all,” Cruz said through translator Stephen Morales. “It’s on my part to make good throws to first base, and that’s what I’m working on right now. The way I throw the ball to first base is huge, and I’m working on that.”

Shelton said Cruz was instructed to add weight to his 220-pound frame this winter and increased his upper-body strength to be more durable over a full season. Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes said Cruz still is moving well and believes he can become a better defender by taking practice seriously during groundball drills.

“He can range from my side of the bag all the way to the other side of the bag. Everyone knows his arm. He can definitely do it,” said Hayes, whose 24 defensive runs saved were the most in the majors last season. “The thing that helped me, especially coming up — because I wasn’t always the best defender in my first or second year (in the minors) — is how much emphasis you want to put to getting better at it ultimately makes it easier in the game. You can’t just be going through the motions. He’s working really hard.”

The Pirates are counting on their unicorn to deliver some magical moments, but Cruz isn’t relying on his talent alone to remain at his preferred position even as some scouts predict a switch from short. Cruz is adamant he would rather be an outlier than an outfielder, even if it means being a baseball oddity.

“It’s an honor for me coming up from being a prospect to now be one of the main guys on the team,” Cruz said. “I’m going to continue to work hard to keep myself with the club and help the club win down the road.”

That’s a tall order for the shortstop, one he appears ready to accept.