Oneil Cruz proves he is ready to carry the Pirates offense
This spring, the Pittsburgh Pirates are faced with a plethora of questions. Who will fill out their starting rotation? Which prospects will make the big league club? How will Oneil Cruz respond after fracturing his ankle last April?
While some of these questions will take almost the entirety of spring training to reach their anticipated conclusion, Cruz has left no doubt that he is ready to go.
On Wednesday, the 25-year-old shortstop took Chris Bassitt of the Blue Jays deep in the top of the sixth inning with a solo shot that scurried out of the park at 104.9 miles per hour. With the blast, his fifth of the spring, the slugger has now hit a home run in four consecutive exhibition contests. That mark is enough to place him atop the league in long balls this spring.
Cruz is also part of the reason why the Pirates are leading the league with 35 spring homers as a team. Teammates Henry Davis (four) and Ke'Bryan Hayes (three) have also cracked the league's top 15. This could be a welcomed new trend for the Bucs, who last season placed 28th in baseball for home runs with 159.
As for Cruz, the highly touted shortstop played in 87 games in 2022 while clubbing 17 home runs with 54 RBI. Many believed 2023 was going to be the year when he would truly establish himself as Pittsburgh's next star, but the injury derailed his opportunity to take the next step in his progression.
So far, it is clear that Cruz is back and ready to make up for lost time to help the Pirates with some much needed power while the club seeks its first playoff berth since 2015. For Cruz, the return to form is the result of a relentless work ethic.
“I put in a lot of work in the offseason and right after I got hurt,” Cruz told MLB.com via team interpreter Stephen Morales. “You’re trying your best and your hardest to get back on the field as soon as possible. I put in a lot of work to be where I’m at right now.”
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