Pirates A to Z: Oneil Cruz broke Statcast records, sets sights on improving at shortstop

During the offseason, the Tribune-Review will offer Pirates A to Z: An alphabetical, player-by-player look at the 40-man roster, from outfielder Miguel Andujar to pitcher Miguel Yajure.

Player: Oneil Cruz

Position: Shortstop

Bats: Left

Throws: Right

Age: 24 (Oct. 4)

Height: 6-foot-7

Weight: 220 pounds

2022 MLB statistics: Slashed .233/.294/.450 with 13 doubles, four triples, 17 home runs and 54 RBIs in 87 games.

Contract: Pre-arbitration eligible.

Acquired: From the Los Angeles Dodgers, along with pitcher Angel German, in a trade for relief pitcher Tony Watson in July 2017.

This past season: Cruz flashed his size, speed and power in the final two games of the 2021 season in a debut that had Pirates fans awaiting his permanent arrival.

The wait was longer than anticipated.

Cruz insisted on staying at shortstop when the Pirates wanted to him to learn the outfield, even if he’s the tallest to ever play the position. He didn’t make the Opening Day roster, starting the season instead at Triple-A Indianapolis in an obvious delay to protect his Super Two status.

His lackluster numbers didn’t help the cause. Cruz slashed .232/.336/.422 with seven doubles, three triples, nine home runs and 35 RBIs in 55 games. He was called up on June 20, after slashing .283/.364/500 with two doubles, one triple, two homers and eight RBIs in 13 games that month.

By then, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton were on board with Cruz staying in the infield.

“We believe he’s a shortstop,” Cherington said. “We added outfield to give him another arrow in his quiver.”

Cruz went 2 for 5 with four RBIs, including a three-run double, in his 2022 debut in a 12-1 win over the Chicago Cubs, then set out to smash Statcast records. He set the standard with his first major-league hit in his debut when his single to right field registered an exit velocity of 118.2 mph that was the hardest recorded hit ever by a Pirates player.

Cruz broke that mark with a 118.4-mph single on Aug. 4. By then, 39 games into his major-league career, Cruz owned the two hardest hits ever by a Pirate and four of the top five of the season, all at exit velocities of 112.9 mph or faster. Cruz made national headlines when his 122.4-mph single off the top of the 21-foot Clemente Wall in right field at PNC Park became the hardest recorded hit since the Statcast era began in 2015.

122.4 MPH exit velocity! ????

Oneil Cruz just hit the hardest-hit batted ball in Statcast era history! pic.twitter.com/bC9loelBoG

— MLB (@MLB) August 24, 2022

By the end of the season, Cruz ranked in the 91st percentile or higher in maximum exit velocity, average exit velocity, sprint speed, barrel percentage and arm strength.

No wonder his teammates call him a unicorn.

“To be honest with you, that was a goal. That was a personal goal of mine, to break the Statcast numbers,” Cruz said through interpreter Mike Gonzalez. “That’s something I’m going to continue to challenge myself in. I want to be a unique player. I want to do things that no one else is doing. I want to be able stand out. More than anything, I want to be dominant with who I am, as a ballplayer, at my position and what I bring to the team.”

That required Cruz to cut down on his 34.9% strikeout rate, as his 126 strikeouts in 87 games had him on pace to shatter the major league single-season record. He also ranked near the bottom in outs above average and whiff percentage. Where Cruz was hitting fastballs at a .285 clip, he batted .168 against breaking pitches and saw his average dip below the Mendoza Line.

Cruz could be a catalyst — he slashed .315/.363/.605 in 31 wins — but his struggles were abysmal. Cruz hit only .184 in 56 losses. He batted .202 in 23 games in July and .195 in 24 games in August before finding his groove over the final month-plus of the season, when he worked hard to improve his pitch recognition and selection. And he tagged a pair of Cy Young winners in Milwaukee’s Corbin Burnes (2021) and Miami’s Sandy Alcantara (2022) for bombs.

Oneil Cruz is not human! ???? pic.twitter.com/91dktSZTSl

— MLB (@MLB) August 4, 2022

three of the nine hardest-hit balls Corbin Burnes has ever allowed in the big leagues have come tonight via Oneil Cruz

113.8 MPH lineout in the 1st
113.2 MPH groundout in the 3rd
117.5 MPH homer in the 5th pic.twitter.com/R1i5RCgWHn

— Céspedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) August 30, 2022

Oneil Cruz hits one out of sight! pic.twitter.com/e55OU8TlHr

— MLB (@MLB) July 24, 2022

“As it got into the year, the at-bats, you could see little nuanced things,” Cherington said last week on a guest appearance on MLB Network’s Hot Stove. “Certainly the pitches he was laying off that maybe he wasn’t early in the season, giving himself maybe a little bit better chance to get to a pitch he could drive. He does unique things. We don’t ever want him to not do unique things. It’s part of what makes him so special and exciting to watch. But he also wants to be a really good player and he’s starting to fill in those gaps.”

Cruz slashed .288/.359/.525 with six doubles, two triples, six homers and 19 RBIs over the Pirates’ final 29 games, hitting .319 over the final 11 with almost as many walks (six) as strikeouts (seven). He finished sixth in National League rookie of the year voting.

“A lot of growth moments there,” Cruz said. “I think going into the offseason and next season, the mindset is to just continue working hard. I was able to recognize a lot of areas I need to continue to develop in and get better at. My mindset is, going into the offseason and working as hard as I can and giving everything I have next season and showing everyone what I got.”

97.8 MPH ????

Oneil Cruz has a CANNON! It's the fastest throw recorded by an INF in the Statcast era. pic.twitter.com/NdIukHQxNW

— MLB (@MLB) July 14, 2022

The future: The biggest question with Cruz was his defense. Despite his ability to make spectacular stops and throws, he committed 17 errors in 363 chances at shortstop and had a .953 fielding percentage.

Cruz admitted that his greatest room for growth is on defense, especially in making routine plays and reducing the number of erratic throws. Shelton blamed some of it on making throws flat-footed.

“I feel like I was able to already demonstrate that I can play shortstop at the big-league level,” Cruz said. “The mindset right now is to continue getting better at that position, to master my position. Like I’ve told many people in the past, that’s my position. That’s the position I’ve always seen myself playing. That’s the position that I love. I believe that, more than anything, I have been able to demonstrate that I have what it takes to play big-league shortstop.”

The Pirates appear willing to live with his learning curve without putting his name in permanent marker at the position. Their flirtation with shifting Cruz to the outfield was short-lived, and Cherington sounded like someone who believes Cruz can make major strides.

“The guys who want to play that position and are willing to work hard, as long as you have the right kind of practice and coaching around them, it’s something you really can improve and get more consistent,” Cherington told MLB Network. “Our experience with Oneil is checking all those boxes. He wants to be a shortstop. He’s willing to work hard at it. He’s responded to all the coaching we’ve given him.”

Offensively, Cruz was on pace for 30 home runs and 101 RBIs over a 162-game season. He was especially productive in the leadoff spot, batting .282 with an .872 OPS, seven homers and 23 RBIs in 32 games.

Shelton, a longtime hitting coach, called it “extremely encouraging” to see the strides Cruz made at the plate.

“It’s hard not to also look at projections and look at how hard he hits the ball and the growth that we’ve seen in just his ability to swing at strikes over the last month,” Shelton said. “Those are the things that we have to build on because no one hits the ball as hard as he does, or maybe one guy in the game hits the ball as hard as he does. So I think you can look at those and see if you continue to see the the lines or the lines of growth in terms of the swing decisions that he’s going to put up big numbers.”

Asked if he can duplicate those numbers next year, Cruz smiled and raised the bar.

“I feel like I can do even more,” Cruz said. “Many more home runs than 30, many more RBIs than what you considered and, more than anything, just a way better batting average.”

Cruz realizes that he’s a big piece of the Pirates’ future, and he appears ready to embrace his role as a centerpiece.

“I would love to be the face of this franchise, but I also understand I’ve got a lot of work to do,” Cruz said. “I’ve got to work hard, and I’ve got to continue working hard for that.”