Pirates' Oneil Cruz Challenging Himself Early in Spring Training

Pirates manager Don Kelly spoke after practice that Cruz wants to face more left-handed pitching and it's just one of the many things he's done this offseason to get better.

“[Cruz] actually asked for the left-handers," Kelly said in a video for DK Pittsburgh Sports. "He’s challenging himself. He wants to get better. He’s worked hard all offseason to do that. It was something that is intentional on his part that he’s working his tail off every day, outfield, hitting, to be better. He asked for the lefties. So in regards to Cruz he wanted that matchup…”

Why Cruz is Practicing Against Left-Handed Pitching

Cruz himself is a left-handed batter despite throwing right-handed, which regularly poises issues against left-handed pitching.

He struggled massively against lefties in 2025, slashing .102/.224/.176 for an OPS of .400, with just 11 hits in 108 at-bats, three doubles, a triple, a home run, plus 44 strikeouts to 16 walks.

It was a big regression from 2024 for Cruz, where he hit somewhat better vs. Southpaws, .224/.266/.420 for an OPS of .686, with 32 hits in 143 at-bats, eight doubles and six home runs.

Cruz struggled overall in 2025, despite having a 20-30 season (20 home runs, 38 stolen bases that tied for the National League lead), finishing as one of the worst qualified hitters in all of baseball.

Kelly has loved seeing Cruz try to get better at the start of Spring Training, as he'll be an important part of the Pirates' team this year.

“Embracing the challenge and talking to him about that, It’s not easy to get better," Kelly said. "It is challenging and for him to dive into that and to ask for it and to go through the offseason and face live ABs, he’s committed to getting better."

Another Key Area Cruz Has Worked On This Winter

While Cruz struggled from the plate in 2025, he also had his issues in his first full season in center field.

Cruz worked with four-time Gold Glove award winner Kevin Kiermaier in Florida this winter, working on various different drills that will help him become the center fielder the Pirates think he can be.

He has the athleticism that has allowed him to make some incredible throws from the outfield, but has also struggled with the basics and made some clumsy mistakes.

Much of Kiermaier's work was based on trying to help his full transition from shortstop to center field and learning how to approach a play and execute properly.

Cruz started 120 of 125 games in center field and finished with -14 defensive saved (DRS) and -11 defensive runs saved above average, both the second worst marks of any qualified center fielder in the major leagues, according to FanGraphs.

If he makes improvements in 2026 with his fielding, and also from the plate, it should be a great comeback season for Cruz and the Pirates.