Spring test
The Oneil Cruz experiment has begun in earnest under the Florida sun.
It’s discussed as almost an inevitability that Oneil Cruz will end up a full-time outfielder one day.
Maybe he will. The 6-foot7, 22-year-old Dominican has been a shortstop up to this point and predominantly has played that middle infield position so far in spring training. The problem everyone notes is that height. Shortstops, or middle infielders in general, are typically not that large.
In Wednesday’s spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Cruz moved to center field in the fifth inning. When the team announced its starting lineup before Thursday’s game against the Atlanta Braves, Cruz was listed as hitting in the No. 9 slot in the lineup, playing center again.
Cruz has heard the rumors himself and has since taken it upon himself to get some outfield work in scrimmages while playing in the Dominican Winter League.
At the same time, Cruz doesn’t plan on leaving shortstop any time soon, if he can help it.
“I still see myself as a shortstop. No one is going to move me out of there,” Cruz said through team translator Mike Gonzalez.
The reason for the move? Cruz may simply fit better in an outfield position as he continues to grow into his still-slender frame.
Pirates outfield coordinator and first-base coach Tarrik Brock even mentioned Wednesday he would “welcome [ Cruz] with open arms” and said Cruz’s physical traits would play well in the outfield. He has a really strong arm. He covers a lot of ground with his enormous strides, and one can imagine him reaching out and plucking balls out of the air a shorter outfielder couldn’t get to.
Cruz was asked Thursday if he knew his vertical leap measurements, and while he didn’t, he pointed to a counter in the Pirates media room in Bradenton, Fla., saying, “I could definitely leap that.”
Additionally, there are already a bevy of viable middle-infield options on the roster, and more are coming soon. The Pirates have Adam Frazier at second base for now, plus Kevin Newman, Erik
Gonzalez, Cole Tucker and Wilmer Difo figure into the shortstop/reserve middle infielder competitions. They also have young prospects Nick Gonzales and Liover Peguero who, ideally, would be middle infielders of the future.
It’s a packed house, and who knows how Cruz fits? But his bat is potentially too valuable to waste with worrying about playing time. He has power to burn, and that can only increase as he bulks up. If there’s an open spot elsewhere Cruz can fill, there’s no reason to stunt his growth by waiting until an infield spot comes open. That would seem to be part of the equation, at least.
“The first thorough conversation I had with the Pirates organization about me playing outfield was actually in my entrance meeting,” Cruz said. “They were very great with me during that conversation and just being clear that I’m still a shortstop in their eyes; however, because there are guys competing for the major league role, they still want to get me some at-bats and want to give me opportunity during this camp. So they’re going to be trying me out in the outfield, so I can get more at-bats and opportunity during camp.”
The discussion around the position change makes it seem like a foregone conclusion. Cruz himself said he’s “very excited” for the move and thinks it will work out well for him.
He’s talked about the move with current MLB outfielders like the Braves’ Marcell Ozuna, former Pirate Starling Marte and current Pirates right fielder Gregory Polanco, all Dominican players Cruz knows from his home country.
That said, Cruz doesn’t want to move permanently. It seems to be a balance between knowing there is a clearer opportunity for atbats if he slots into the outfield right now and playing the position he loves most. He says he liked playing center field growing up, but his role model was longtime Blue Jays shortstop Tony Fernandez.
In the end, it might be a battle with his own body. The plan when he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers at age 17 — and when he was traded to the Pirates for Tony Watson in 2017 — was for him to play shortstop. As he grows, so does speculation he would be better suited as an outfielder.
Spring training will be the first look at how that might look, but it hasn’t changed Cruz’s mind on what he wants to be.
“When I first signed, I was around 6-1 or 6-2,” Cruz said. “And to this day, I’m still praying that I stop growing.”