Forget stats, Cruz is all about improving

“It’s an honor for me coming up from being a prospect to now be one of the main guys on the team.”

BRADENTON, Fla. — Oneil Cruz insisted he doesn’t pay much attention to Statcast-driven numbers, things like average exit velocity, sprint speed or how hard he throws. If that’s true, the Pirates shortstop might be the only one who feels that way.

Because pretty much everywhere else, talk of those exploits feels unavoidable.

“I don’t pay much attention to numbers,” Cruz said Thursday at Pirate City, with minor league coach Stephen Morales translating. “I just try to play hard and do my best to help this team win.”

More than how hard or far he hits the ball, playing hard and helping the Pirates win should be the edict governing Cruz’s sophomore campaign. The Pirates need to be better. In order for that to happen, Cruz must give them a steady split at shortstop while also driving in runs.

As anyone who has watched Cruz would attest, the talent is there. In spades. The focus remains consistency and Cruz continuing whatever he found over the past month or so of the regular season, when he stopped chasing pitches out of the strike zone.

Remember, his final 29 games, Cruz slashed .288/.359/.525, with six doubles, two triples, six home runs and 19 RBIs. He hit .319 over his last 11 while also striking out just seven times.

“At the beginning of the season, I was swinging at pitches out of the strike zone,” Cruz said. “I tried to do too much. As games went on, I became more of a big league player and made adjustments, not swinging at pitches out of the strike zone as much. That gave me success.”

When Cruz left Pittsburgh this offseason, the Pirates sent their shortstop away with some offseason instructions. They wanted him to bulk up and also work toward improving his defensive consistency, starting with footwork and extending to accuracy with his right arm.

Through two days of workouts at Pirate City, Cruz continues to sizzle throws — no surprise — but his footwork does appear cleaner, with the 6-foot-7 shortstop relying less on his incredible reach and being careful to ensure his feet stay underneath him at all times.

“I’ve been working hard at the stuff I’ve needed to work on to be better,” Cruz said. “It’s nonstop. Get better every day.”

This is definitely a different spring training for Cruz. The last time he was at Pirate City, Cruz made headlines because he said he planned to make his MLB debut in 2020. That, of course, never materialized.

Now people know Cruz. Incredibly well because of the Statcast stuff. He should also play as many games as his body can handle at shortstop, in a role as one of the team’s unquestioned offensive drivers.

Cruz loves it, clearly. A gigantic speaker now resides next to his locker. He’ll recline back in his chair and let out a deep laugh while talking to teammates. It’s the furthest thing from walking on eggshells.

“It’s an honor for me coming up from being a prospect to now be one of the main guys on the team,” Cruz said. “I’m going to continue to work hard to stay with the club and help the club win down the road.”

Lighting up Statcast will obviously help, but Cruz cited a different set of goals for this season.

Lofty? Perhaps. But he’s targeting a 30-30 or 40-40 season, talking about home runs and steals. It’s certainly possible given he had a 17-10 season in just 87 games last year.

“I want to play hard and put on a good show for the people who go out to Pittsburgh to see me play,” Cruz said.

As Cruz spoke Thursday, he checked off a couple other important boxes. Rodolfo Castro is the second baseman with whom he’s most comfortable. Communication will be key. The ankle he tweaked during winter ball is fine. Cruz is encouraged by the veterans the Pirates added.

The funniest part was a story Cruz told about playing the Milwaukee Brewers last season. During one game, he said he went up to Andrew McCutchen and informed the franchise legend that he was going to come back to Pittsburgh, a prescient prediction.

“Now that he’s here,” Cruz said, “I feel pretty excited about that.”

— Oniel Cruz