During the early to mid part of April, Oneil Cruz wasn't providing much production at the plate. His slash line, as of April 21, was sitting at .209/.261/.326 and he began to open up about a lack of confidence affecting his performance after missing all but nine games last year due to a left ankle fracture.
"Getting confidence back is a huge part, especially being out for a year, but we're working hard every day and (battling) through some stuff and we're here to do that every day to get better," Cruz said after a sixth-straight loss to the Red Sox on April 21. "We'll be fine."
Cruz struggled throughout the entire month, compiling a .222/.267/.313 slash line with two homers and 39 strikeouts in 99 at-bats. But since that mid-April day when he expressed confidence in turning the corner, he's done just that.
After hitting his seventh home run of the season in the Pirates' 5-4 extra-inning loss to the Cubs at PNC Park Sunday afternoon, Cruz is now hitting .344 with four home runs and 11 RBIs over his last 18 games. He's cut down on the strikeouts, especially over the last seven games when he's gone down on strikes just four times in 26 at-bats, and has upped his season average to .265.
When analyzing what Cruz has done to change his fortunes at the plate, Derek Shelton pinpoints one thing in particular.
"I think he's not chasing as much," Shelton said. "He's staying in his zones and when we see him stay in his zones, he hits the ball really hard. I think we've seen that over the last two or three weeks."
Cruz has been red hot in the month of May, going 12 for 34 (.353/.389/.794) with four homers and nine RBIs in nine games. He's put together four multi-hit performances during that span, including two in this series against the Cubs, and has established himself as a more consistent contributor in the heart of the Pirates order.
Cruz fell a hit short of another multi-hit showing and did fly out in a crucial bases-loaded situation in the team's series finale on Sunday, but he still managed to produce with this solo shot to put the Pirates on the board in the fourth inning:
That homer -- his second in as many days -- sailed in right field and didn't look as if it would ever drop. It went 353 feet, had a 112.7 exit velocity and left the bat at a 47-degree launch angle:
"You don't see very many balls that are hit that high that get out," Shelton said. "But he does things at times that surprise all of us."
Earlier this week, Cruz acknowledged he's recently put in a lot of work off the field to feel better at the plate, hitting curveballs off the pitching machine and focusing more on balls in the strike zone. Because of the work he's done behind the scenes, he appears to be in a better spot in terms of his approach and his confidence. That's something that hasn't gone unnoticed.
“I just think his hard work is paying off," said Connor Joe, who has followed Cruz's lead in hitting homers in back-to-back games. "You could see as he got a couple hits early on, end of April, the confidence coming back. He’s hitting the ball hard everywhere. I think that builds confidence, and when you’re a confident hitter, you’re dangerous. He’s just taking really professional at-bats. When he steps in there, he’s a danger and he’s a threat. He knows that. The other team knows that. It’s really good to see him hit the ball really hard.”
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