Oneil Cruz Shows Pirates How Much They Missed Him

Cruz, who will still deal with pain from time-to-time the rest of the campaign, is showing the Pirates exactly why they need him going forward.

He hit a two-run home run in his first game back against the Detroit Tigers at PNC Park on Aug. 18, putting the Pirates up 2-1 in the fifth inning of the eventual 4-1 win, then hit an RBI-single in the first inning of the 4-3 win in the series finale on Aug. 19.

His first home run was quite impressive, 107.7 mph off the bat and 422 feet to right-center field off a knuckle curve down and away, which Cruz made it look so easy.

Cruz got a great pitch to hit, a 98.8 mph four-seam fastball down the middle of the plate from Dodgers right-handed relief pitcher Kyle Hurt, allowing Cruz to unleash and smash it 112.8 mph and 424 feet to deep center field.

There aren't many more powerful hitters in the major leagues than Cruz and those two home runs were great examples of exactly that.

Cruz leads all qualified major league hitters with a 95.8 mph average exit velocity and ranks second with a 58.7% hard-hit rate (95+mph exit velocity), just behind Chicago White Sox star rookie Munetaka Murakami at 58.8%.

He also has the hardest hit baseball this season, an 119 mph double off the Roberto Clemente Wall at PNC Park against the Washington Nationals on April 16, and the hardest hit ball in the Statcast era (since 2015), 122.3 mph home run he hit out of PNC Park against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 25, 2025.

The Pirates have lacked the power that Cruz brings over the past month and they will need it over the last five weeks of the season.

Cruz Growing in Center Field

Missing two months with injury for Cruz didn't necessarily impact his running or range in center field, but it was quite some time out from serving his defensive role at the major league level.

Cruz has done a solid job in his first three games back and this contest vs. the Dodgers was his best yet.

He showed off his arm with an 101 mph throw from center field to catcher Rafael Flores Jr. at home plate, keeping a runner at third base in the third inning.

Cruz then made one of the better catches in center field, as he sprinted to his left made a basket catch sliding in the ninth inning, forcing the game into extra innings.

The Pirates center fielder has had his struggles adjusting to the position after moving there towards the end of the 2024 season, particularly on Opening Day vs. the New York Mets at Citi Field.

Cruz showed in this game and recently that he can make the important plays and use his athleticism to make him a benefit in center field for the Pirates, rather than a liability.