Cruz control
Pirates’ top prospect might be long-term help at short
AT ONE point or another in your life, you’ve likely heard the words, “It’s never too early to start planning for the future.”
It may have been a financial advisor, a friend, your parents or your grandparents (after handing you a crisp $1 bill or $5 worth of savings bonds), but you’ve heard the advice ... a lot.
Planning ahead in fantasy baseball is no different, especially when you have gobs of talented players ready to make an impact after getting their
call to The Show. Some may arrive sooner than others (i.e. top Tigers prospect Riley Greene was called up Friday), but they’re all worthy of attention.
The Pirates’ top prospect, shortstop Oneil Cruz, is one who should be arriving any moment now.
Cruz played two games in the majors last year, going 3-for-9 (.333) with a homer, three RBIs, two runs and a 1.000 OPS. Though it was the smallest of small sample sizes, his 118.2-mph maximum exit velocity would have ranked seventh in the majors — one spot behind Mets slugger Pete Alonso (118.4). (He also had a ball clocked at 122 mph in the minors this year, so he clearly hits the ball hard.)
Cruz didn’t start the season with the Pirates, likely because of service-time manipulation, and the 23-year-old didn’t help his cause by hitting .176 with a .566 OPS while striking out in 32.9 percent of his atbats in April. His turnaround, however, came pretty quickly.
After going 0-for-8 in his first two games in May, he went 23-for-82 (.281) with six homers, 19 RBIs, 20 runs, three stolen bases and .941 OPS in his next 20 games. He struck out in 19.6 percent of his at-bats while drawing a walk 13.4 percent of the time.
Though he hit just .236 and struck out 23.2 percent of the time in his first 52 games for Triple-A Indianapolis, Cruz had at least one hit in 25 of his past 31 games while hitting .289 with eight homers, 25 RBIs, 30 runs, four stolen bases and a .945 OPS in that span.
Despite his 24.7 percent strikeout rate in the minors, he has hit .275 with 58 homers, 240 RBIs, 291 runs, 71 stolen bases and .802 OPS in six seasons. Between Triple-A and Double-A last year, he hit .310 with 17 homers, 47 RBIs, 62 runs, 19 stolen bases and a .970 OPS in just 69 games.
If you’re looking for a player with a powerful bat, solid speed and a whole lot of upside, this is your guy. And the time to add him is, well, now. He entered the weekend owned in just 7.7 percent of ESPN leagues, and that number is going rise as soon as he lands in Pittsburgh.
Here’s a look at two other prospects who should be on your radar:
In two five-game stints in the majors this season, the Twins outfielder Alex Kirilloff hit .172 with a 37.5 percent strikeout rate. In 28 Triple-A games since his demotion, Kirilloff is 42-for-109 (.385) with 10 homers, 31 RBIs, 32 runs and a 1.201 OPS. He has struck out in just 15.6 percent of his at-bats while drawing a free pass 12.5 percent of the time. Opportunity is the problem here, though a path back to the majors may open up if Trevor Larnach continues to struggle.
The Royals are a terrible team, and Carlos Santana, who entered the weekend hittting .191, isn’t doing much to make it better. Meanwhile, Vinnie Pasquantino is hitting .278 with 17 homers, 58 RBIs, 45 runs and a .973 OPS in 60 games at Triple-A (and that’s despite hitting .188 with a
.619 OPS in his first 13 games this month). He has nothing left to prove in the minors, as he’s hit .293 with 55 homers, 195 RBIs and a .962 OPS over three seasons.