Oneil Cruz having more success against left-handed pitchers

Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz (fronT) celebrates after hitting a two-run home run and scoring Konnor Griffin against the Tampa Bay Rays during the sixth inning at PNC Park. Philip G. Pavely-Imagn Images

Pirates' Oneil Cruz having more success against left-handed pitchers

By Vanessa Serrao | Last updated Apr 18, 2026 10:35 PM ET

Add us as a preferred source on Google

The Pittsburgh Pirates are performing with a competitive edge early this season in the NL Central. A player who has bounced back from struggles last season is Oneil Cruz.

The 27-year-old has improved his hitting against left-handed pitchers, which was a weak point of his game in 2025.

He was 11-for-108 with three doubles and a bomb against southpaws last season, and he's already matched his total this season. Cruz is 11-for-25 with two doubles and three bombs across 21 games.

On the season, he is batting .313 with 25 hits and 19 RBI across 20 games played. The Pirates are 6-4 in their last 10 games, and while it's through a small sample size, they are looking to be contenders following improved pitching and revamped offense.

Oneil Cruz last year against LHP: 11 for 108, three doubles, one home run

Oneil Cruz this year against LHP: 11 for 25, two doubles, three home runs

He's matched last season's hit total against southpaws. 21 games into the season.
— Danny Demilio (@Demilio22) April 18, 2026

Winner, winner, chicken dinner for Oneil Cruz

Cruz has shown an improved approach at the plate against lefties. This has been accomplished by working lefties into deeper counts by pulling the ball up. A weakness he demonstrated last season was hitting into more groundouts.

He has also adjusted his batting stance while shortening his swing length to enhance his bat speed against southpaws.

Cruz spent the offseason working with a left-handed pitcher in the Dominican Republic to revise his approach against lefties. Last season, he struggled with a .184 average against them.

His offensive production in early 2026 against lefties has surged, with an OPS of 1.295.

As well, his whiff rate has substantially dropped from 42.4% last season to 26.7% this season. His improved whiff rate has also lowered his strikeout rate.

He is demonstrating better plate discipline and utilizing the opposite field productively, permitting him to be more confident when facing left- handed pitching. This has been backed up by a .500 wOBA and a 158 wRC+ against lefties.

Vanessa Serrao

Serrao is a freelance baseball writer who has covered all MLB teams, with particular expertise on the Toronto Blue Jays. She is a member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America.

More must-reads: