Cruz has struck out 11 times in 44 at-bats during Grapefruit League play.
Cruz has only 10 hits this spring -- four of which have gone for extra bases -- but his improved ability to make contact is a positive sign. He struck out at a 34.9 percent clip across 361 plate appearances in the majors last season, but he regularly kept his punchouts within the range of 25 percent throughout his minor-league career. If his increased contact rate can carry over into the regular season, it's a good bet that Cruz will improve upon his .233 average while also providing plenty of home runs and stolen bases.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Contract renewed for 2023
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Cruz has his contract renewed for the 2023 season by the Pirates on Wednesday, Alex Stumpf of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.
Cruz will make the league minimum $720,000 as he participates in his first full season of MLB action in 2023. The uber-athletic shortstop is expected to make a major leap forward in his development this year and will look to flex both his power at the plate and his speed on the bases. Cruz said late last month that he expects to have a 30-homer, 30-steal season for the Pirates, a lofty goal for the 24-year-old. He'll look to improve upon the uninspiring .233 average and 34.9 strikeout percentage he produced over 331 at-bats in 87 games last year.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: No limitations for spring training
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The Pirates announced Wednesday that Cruz (ankle) is a "full go" for spring training, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.
Though Cruz sustained what was reported to be a minor ankle injury in December while he played in the Dominican Winter League, his availability for the start of spring training was never believed to be in much question. It's reassuring nonetheless that the Pirates have cleared him for full activity for the first week of camp, ensuring that the 24-year-old can continue to hone his craft in the field and at the plate during the Grapefruit League slate. Last week, Cruz told Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic that he expects to turn in a "30/30 or 40/40" season, and while that type of lofty production probably isn't realistic, a 20/20 season is certainly attainable for the toolsy shortstop if health prevails and he shows some growth as a hitter. In 361 plate appearances with the big club as a rookie last season, Cruz notched 17 home runs and 10 stolen bases, but a bloated 34.9 percent strikeout rate weighed down his batting average (.233).
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Swipes 11th bag
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Cruz went 3-for-6 with a run scored and a stolen base in an 8-7 extra-inning loss Tuesday against St. Louis.
Cruz singled in the first, third and 10th innings, scoring a run in the first and stealing a base in the 10th. It was his 11th stolen base in 15 attempts this season and fourth steal since Sept. 23. He's had multi-hit performances in six of his last eight games, posting a .429/.487/.514 slash line in 39 plate appearances in that span. He's cut down on his strikeouts over the final part of the season and has a 5:5 BB:K in his last 44 plate appearances.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Returns to form Sunday
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Cruz went 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and a stolen base in Sunday's victory over the Cardinals.
After receiving the day off Saturday, Cruz returned to form with two timely hits and a walk Sunday. The rookie led off the third with a single, stole second base to record his 10th steal of the season and came around to score on a sacrifice fly to put the Pirates up 4-3. He also scored after smashing a double in the fifth inning to tie the game at 5-5. Over his last 10 games, Cruz is batting .308 (12-for-39) with nine runs, two RBI and three stolen bases.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Swipes ninth bag
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Cruz went 2-for-5 with a double, a run scored and a stolen base Tuesday against the Reds.
Cruz led off the seventh inning with a single and promptly stole second base before coming around to score. While it is a small sample, Cruz has shown an improved ability to make contact by striking out only twice across his last six games and 28 plate appearances. He's slowly improved his overall line for the season, as he is now hitting .225/.281/.454 across 327 plate appearances while also tallying 17 home runs and nine stolen bases.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Notches first four-hit game
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Cruz went 4-for-5 with two runs in Monday's 8-3 win against the Reds.
Cruz batted atop the order and did the job of a leadoff hitter, reaching base four times on singles. His hit in the fifth inning led to Pittsburgh's first run, though Cruz wasn't credited with an RBI since the runner crossed the plate due to an error. The rookie has followed a four-game, 0-for-13 stretch by going 6-for-9 and scoring three runs over his past two contests.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Sitting Saturday
Rotowire
Cruz will be on the bench Saturday against the Cubs.
Cruz will get to rest his legs for the second straight day, as he served as the designated hitter Friday. His recent numbers suggest he could use a rest, as he's gone 5-for-46 with 24 strikeouts over his last 12 games. In typical Cruz fashion, however, he at least managed three homers and two steals over that stretch, preserving some amount of fantasy value. Kevin Newman will start at shortstop Saturday.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Swipes eighth bag
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Cruz went 0-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and a stolen base Friday against the Cubs.
Cruz led off the first inning with a walk and proceeded to steal second base before coming around to score. He's hitless in his last four games, but he has worked five free passes and scored two runs in that span. Cruz has maintained an improved .237/.307/.550 line across 80 at-bats in September, also chipping in six home runs, two steals, 10 runs scored and 16 RBI.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Earns three free passes
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Cruz went 0-for-2 with three walks and a run scored Tuesday against the Yankees.
Cruz has struggled with patience at the dish across 304 plate appearances this season, striking out at a 38.8 percent clip while walking only 6.9 percent of the time. Tuesday's performance marked only the third time for the campaign that he's worked multiple free passes in a game, though he still struck out twice. Despite just a .220 batting average, Cruz does have 17 homers and seven stolen bases in the partial season.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Hits two-run homer
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Cruz went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Friday's loss to the Mets.
Cruz hit an eighth-inning home run that sent Tyler Heineman home. It was Cruz's sixteenth homer of the year, his second in three days, and his fifth this month. Cruz is having his best stretch since he was called up to the big league club June 20. The rookie shortstop is slashing .288/.311/.644 this month after going 17-for-59. Cruz has also struck out 23 times in that span, but has raised his batting average from .202 to .221.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Goes deep again
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Cruz went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run Wednesday against the Reds.
Cruz smacked his 15th homer of the season and fourth across 12 games in September. As has been the case for much of his big-league career, it's been a mixed bag for Cruz as he has also struck out at a 35.7 percent clip in the same 12-game span. Despite the troubling strikeout rate, Cruz has shown a tremendous ability to produce counting stats, racking up 14 homers, 44 RBI, 31 runs scored and seven stole bases across 278 plate appearances for the season.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Sits amid hot streak
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Cruz is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Reds.
The hot-hitting rookie will hit the bench for the first time since Aug. 23, ending a 16-game stretch in which Cruz slashed .313/.353/.641 with four home runs and 14 RBI. With a southpaw (Mike Minor) on the hill for Cincinnati, the lefty-hitting Cruz will give way to the righty-hitting Kevin Newman at shortstop and atop the batting order.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Slugs 14th homer
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Cruz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a walk in Saturday's 7-5 loss to the Cardinals.
Cruz is on quite the tear during his seven-game hitting streak. He's gone 14-for-30 (.467) with three homers, eight RBI, five runs scored, two triples and two doubles in that span. The massive surge has him up to a .231/.279/.470 slash line with 14 homers, 43 RBI, 31 runs scored and six stolen bases through 66 contests. The walk he drew Saturday was his first in nine games, and while he's hot at the plate, he still has a 36.2 percent strikeout rate compared to a 6.4 percent walk rate.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Drives in three runs
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Cruz went 3-for-5 with a triple, a double, a run scored and three RBI in Friday's 8-2 win over the Cardinals.
Cruz ripped a two-run triple and scored a run in the fifth inning before knocking an RBI single in the eighth. The electrifying rookie is starting to heat up down the stretch, going 12-for-30 (.400) with six extra-base hits and seven RBI through seven games this month. However, he's also struck out nine times while not drawing a walk during that stretch after another pair of strikeouts Friday. Cruz's season slash line has improved to .226/.273/.457 through 260 plate appearances.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Smacks 12th homer
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Cruz went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Sunday against the Blue Jays.
Cruz took Ross Stripling yard in the fifth inning for his 12th homer of the season. Cruz is hitting .244 across his last 11 games, but he has six extra-base hits in that span -- including three home runs, two triples and a double. He has had long spells with little production thanks to a 37.6 percent strikeout rate, though Cruz also has a .218 ISO to go along with six steals across 242 plate appearances for the season.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Delivers three-run blast
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Cruz went 1-for-4 with a walk and a three-run home run Monday against the Brewers.
Cruz took Corbin Burnes deep in the fifth inning to tally his 11th home run of the season. He's still in the midst of an extended slump, as he's hit only .163 with a 42.9 percent strikeout rate across his last 14 starts -- including Monday. Even so, he's shown signs of being an excellent source of power and speed, delivering six stolen bases in addition to his 11 homers across 56 games this season.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Leadoff triple in win
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Cruz went 1-for-4 with a triple and a run scored in Sunday's victory over Philadelphia.
Cruz got things started with a bang as he crushed a triple to center field to lead off the game. The triple was his second of the season, which is a little surprising given his 99th percentile sprint speed and elite exit velocity. Despite the game-changing tools, Cruz has failed to put it all together, slashing .199/.250/.398 in the majors on the season.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: On bench against southpaw
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Cruz is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against Atlanta.
Even after popping a home run in Monday's 2-1 loss, Cruz is still sitting on a .191/.258/.404 slash line since the All-Star break. In light of the rookie's ongoing struggles, the Pirates will likely look to limit his exposure to left-handed pitching. With southpaw Max Fried on the bump for Atlanta, the lefty-hitting Cruz will cede his spot in the middle infield to Rodolfo Castro.
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Pirates' Oneil Cruz: Solo shot in loss
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Cruz went 1-for-3 with a solo home run in Monday's loss against Atlanta.
The rookie shortstop provided all of the offense for Pittsburgh Monday with a solo shot against Jake Odorizzi in the fifth inning. The round tripper was Cruz's 10th on the season and first since Aug. 6. The 23-year-old had been mired in a slump as he hit just .128 in 39 at bats leading up to Monday's bout with Atlanta which moved his average under the Mendoza line. Hopefully the homer is a sign of better things to come.
