DAWN OF A NEW DAY
After missing practically all of 2023, this ballplayer with the freakish abilities has shown that he is healthy and — perhaps of greater import — that he has grown in ways that the ‘1% of the 1%’ do.
By the time they left a double date at Fogo de Chao the night before PiratesFest, temperatures had dropped into the high-20s, much too cold for one Puerto Rican couple and another arriving from the Dominican Republic. But as Stephen Morales, Oneil Cruz and their wives piled into an Uber outside of the Brazilian steakhouse in Downtown Pittsburgh, with Cruz folding his massive frame into the front seat, the Pirates major league coach will never forget the innocent words that came tumbling out of the driver’s mouth.
“The guy looked to his right and said, ‘OK, are you who I think you are?’” Morales recalled. “You should have seen his face. It was awesome. I guess when you’re Oneil Cruz and you’re 6-foot-7, you can’t go unnoticed.”
While Cruz has never been the type to actively seek attention, anonymity has often eluded him — and whatever ounce of it he has left may be shrinking faster than the exit velocity on one of his trademark home runs.
After missing all but nine games of the 2023 season due to a fractured left ankle that required surgery and significant rehabilitation, Cruz has returned better than anyone could have imagined. He’s been the Pirates’ feel-good story of the spring, so much so that current and former teammates are predicting — OK, expecting — a massive breakout.
“When I see the power, the swing, it’s crazy,” said former Pirate Carlos Santana, who became close friends with Cruz. “He’s gonna be a superstar for a long time.”
Said Rowdy Tellez: “He’s gonna be a generational player.” “The future of this organization,” Martin Perez called Cruz. Heavy statements, sure. But also accurate ones.
For while the Pirates have doled out $253.75 million in contract extensions over the past three offseasons to Ke’Bryan Hayes, Bryan Reynolds and Mitch Keller, none of them possess as much potential relative to their positions as Cruz.
Sometimes, being away from the game teaches you a lot. I think he appreciates being back on the field. ... He’s grown mentally and physically. You can see it. He doesn’t want any time off. He wants to go after it and do the things he needs to do.”
Stephen Morales
Should Cruz remain healthy and find a way for his production to match his immense talent, Andrew McCutchen can absolutely see where this one is going.
“You look at players, and there are certain ones who have ‘it.’ They’re the 1% of the 1%,” McCutchen said. “You can name ’em right away: Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, Ronald Acuna Jr. Cruz is one of those guys.
“Not only that, he can do things that guys in that 1% can’t do. If you’re doing that, it’s pretty easy to say, ‘Yeah, he’s gonna be really good.’ ”
That prompted McCutchen, the 2013 National League MVP during a four-year run of top-five finishes, to inject some personal experience into the thought that this could be a breakout year for Cruz.
“I’ve never been a guy who could wake up and hit a ball 495 feet, produce 120 mph exit velocities, throw a ball 100 mph across the diamond or run 30 feet per second,” McCutchen said. “I had some ability, obviously. But it wasn’t to that extreme. He’s extreme in all those categories. Once he gets a little more experience, learning how to really turn it on when he needs to and adjust to pitchers, that’s what will make him truly the 1% of the 1% and a 40-40 (homers and steals) guy.
“It makes me think about Kobe Bryant and the times where he would just take over games. Cruz can do that.”
‘You can see it’
Although his father — Rafael, a minor-league infielder with the Rangers in the 1980s — named the second of three boys after his favorite player, Paul O’Neill, Oneil Cruz said the origin of his name is often misconstrued back home in Nizao, Dominican Republic.
“Ever since I was a child, everyone used to assume my name came from Shaquille O’Neal,” Cruz told me in July 2022.
Cruz exhibited every ounce of Shaq’s attentiongrabbing dominance during his first few games in the big leagues. There was the ball he blistered 118.2 mph in his MLB debut, then the 408-foot homer he somehow hit from one knee the next night.
The incredible feats returned the following season, when Cruz broke Statcast era (2015-present) records for the hardest-hit ball (122.4 mph), as well at the hardestthrown infield assist (97.8 mph, now second) ... all while posting sprint speeds that placed him in the 98th percentile MLB-wide.
“Whatever’s going to get broken,” Cruz said at the time through former team translator Mike Gonzales, in a quote that’s still referenced by Pirates fans, “is going to get broken.”
Yet, unfortunately, by the following season, Cruz was the one who was broken, his left ankle snapping on a slide into home plate against the White Sox at PNC Park on April 9.
Cruz screamed in pain. The hype train came to a screeching halt. The Pirates’ hot start eventually cooled.
Over the next 10 months, Cruz’s resolve was tested. He would occasionally show up around the team, exciting teammates with his presence and the group imagining how much of a game changer it would be to have his thunderous bat. While he was relegated to the shadows perhaps for the only time in his career, Cruz navigated a tricky rehab process.
One where the ankle didn’t feel quite right the first time he ran, but also a situation that seemed to get better with time. While those onfield exploits pushed Cruz onto MLB Network showcasing his freakish genes, his recovery exhibited a quiet dedication to his craft and the desire to be great no matter what.
If there were any lingering questions over the health of Cruz’s ankle, this spring he stamped them out with the same authority with which he hits home runs, piling up seven of those to go along with a .261 average, 14 RBIs, 34 total bases, 13 runs scored and a 1.072 OPS.
“Sometimes, being away from the game teaches you a lot,” Morales said. “I think he appreciates being back on the field. At the same time, he’s grown mentally and physically. You can see it. He doesn’t want any time off. He wants to go after it and do the
things he needs to do.” ‘He wants to do well’
Cruz has never been a stranger to setting lofty goals for himself.
Upon arriving at Pirate City in 2020, he said he planned to play in the major leagues that year — prior to the pandemic shutdown. Last spring, Cruz made no bones about eying a 30-30 or 40-40 season, the latter having been accomplished by just five players after Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr. in 2023 became the first in 17 years to do it.
The talent and desire obviously remain. But it’s been a different story this spring.
“Last year, his goal was at least 30-30,” Morales said. “This year — I think it’s a big sign of his maturity — it’s wanting to stay healthy to help the team win. That says a lot.”
Added Cruz: “Me being in the lineup will help the team a lot. Last year, I missed it and I know I was missed by the team not being in the lineup. I know I can contribute a lot to the team and get more wins, that’s for sure.”
That sort of quiet confidence and mature outlook comes from how Cruz was raised, as well as how he handles things with his own family — his wife, Lovely, and two young boys, Oneil Jr. and Owen.
Before Cruz steps to the plate, he looks into the stands and makes eye contact with his wife and kids as a way to honor them. Instead of soaking up the spotlight, Cruz is most comfortable at home playing video games with his boys.
There’s also a light-heartedness to his personality around the Pirates. During drills, Cruz likes to joke around with Morales and infield coach Mendy Lopez, calling them “viejos” — or old guys.
In the minor leagues, there was a constant back and forth with longtime infield coach Gary Green, the two often exchanging words and hand gestures in the middle of games.
“The father, the human being ... he’s a great teammate,” said Miguel Perez, who managed Cruz with Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis and along with Morales and Lopez has become one of those in the Pirates organization closest to Cruz. “He’s funny. People don’t always see that.
“I saw him a couple days ago with his kids here. He’s always smiling and laughing, trying to transfer that energy to his kids. ... People see what they see on the field, but there’s a lot more that makes him special.”
Santana became a mentor to Cruz last season, talking to him about the importance of interacting with fans, signing autographs and how much of a role model he can be for young players, especially those from Latin America.
McCutchen has also adopted an older brother type of role, where he’ll leave Cruz alone during the good times, allowing him to do his thing but ensuring Cruz stays positive during the more difficult times of a 162game season.
“He knows a lot of eyes are on him,” McCutchen said. “He knows there are expectations. I’m sure he has expectations of himself. I’m here to facilitate that.
“I know that’s where I had my most help: When I was at my lowest of lows and had people coming over to me, having those conversations that were hard ... but also understanding they’re gonna help me in the long run.”
It’s easy to forget that Cruz is still only 25 with a ton of baseball ahead of him. Like many in the Pirates’ clubhouse, he’ll have to grow up fast — and the team’s success will hinge on how well he accomplishes that.
At the same time, Cruz is uniquely himself, possessing a collection of rarely seen skills combined with a desire to be great. After a year of Pirates fans missing out on the biggest storyline — literally and figuratively — with this team, Oneil Cruz has returned.
Hiding from Uber drivers — or anyone else, for that matter — will likely be impossible.
“He wants to do well, especially after last year,” Perez said. “You can tell with how he’s going about it this year, the intent in every game. He’s taking it seriously. Not that he didn’t before, but you can tell how hungry he is to have a great year.”