Moving Oneil Cruz off short is fine, the timing however...
Pirates announce Oneil Cruz will be transitioning to the outfield
I remember watching Oneil Cruz play for Altoona back in 2021. It was my first year diving into the minor leagues as a writer on my website before I went to P2.
They were playing in Erie, and a ball was hit towards the left field wall, hit it, and bounced past Canaan Smith-Njigba.
It was not a good recipe, and it looked like it would score a runner, but as he turned to head home out of nowhere, Oneil Cruz came flying in, grabbed the ball in the outfield, and fired a laser home, getting the out.
It was an incredible play and a sign that if the tall infield prospect eventually had to move off of shortstop, that arm would let him provide value anywhere.
Fast-forward to 2024, when the Pirates finally decided to move Cruz off the position, announcing he’d be playing center field from now on.
It’s not a complete surprise, although it feels like it hit some off-balanced on Twitter.
Cruz can make plays that few other shortstops can, but his arm and size give him a little added range, so he can certainly make the highlight reels.
The simple plays sometimes cost him, such as an added shuffle that forced him to unleash a harder-than-necessary throw that would sail wide.
I think the biggest issue with Cruz shifting to the outfield is that he will lose value there compared to shortstop.
Which is fair. While players with 30/30 potential are rare, especially at shortstop, having one in the lineup is special enough.
Cruz is there to hit, and a 30/30 player is special, no matter his position.
The Pirates have gotten some of the worst production in all of baseball out of the centerfield position.
OPS - .565 - 30th
wRC+ - 58 - 30th
wOBA - .253 - 30th
fWAR - 0.4 - 29th
Only the Dodgers have gotten less fWAR out of their center fielders than the Pirates. Other than that, this unit ranks at the bottom in nearly every category, which Cruz fixes.
When factoring in Isiah Kiner-Falefa at shortstop, this move makes the Pirates better right now. Even looking at his career numbers, it’s not a question.
OPS - .670
wRC+ - 85
wOBA - .295
fWAR (2024) - 2.1
There are a lot of metrics that say IKF will probably regress from the career season he’s having, outside the fact that he’s way above what he’s done previously. Even if he comes back down to what he’s done career-wise, it’s still a step up from the production the Pirates have gotten in center field, and it’s a better defense than what Cruz provided.
Even if it isn’t as flashy.
So, you improved both defensively at shortstop and on the offensive side of things in center field.
The big thing to monitor will be how Cruz will respond to getting moved off shortstop.
In theory, this should help his ankle, as there isn’t as much planting and pivoting on it as there is in the infield. There will be more running, which is something, but not as much pressure on it that comes with playing the infield.
If Cruz can handle the position, and he has the speed and athleticism to do it, then the Pirates have the makings of one of the best center fielders in baseball. He would always be limited to some extent at shortstop, with some limitations lifted after the position switch.
It’ll be a matter of getting him to buy into the move. As the center fielder, he’ll have free reign out there, so if he feels like he can get to the ball, it’s his to have.
The only question I have about this move is its timing. Cruz has played a total of 81 innings in the outfield—all in left field—in his professional career.
Not only will he be doing something completely new, but he will be doing it at the major league level (Cole Tucker vibes, right?).
Now, the Pirates haven’t really shown concern with how their outfield grades defensively, but they’ve at least had Michael A. Taylor (who is still on the team) to fall back on.
Cruz has the athleticism to make a quick adjustment, but we’ve even seen someone like Ji Hwan Bae struggle with taking routes to the ball.
The other aspect of the timing is that it wasn’t too long ago that Ben Cherington seemingly doubled down on their decision to stick with Cruz at shortstop, only to now turn in a different direction.
It’s something that feels like it’s becoming a little too commonplace, getting differing stories on the same subject depending on who you ask.
Cruz has the opportunity to be an exceptional player. While it may not be at shortstop anymore, it’s not like center field isn’t one of the more premiere positions in the game.
The offense gives him that potential, and as long as he embraces the change, he has the chance to do many great things in the game.
The timing, though, clouds up the entire situation more than it probably should have. Not being able to develop another major league shortstop makes this a little bigger deal than it should be, but realistically, it's only because it pushed it back further than it should have gone.
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Cherington communicated this in the worst way possible, except for literally all the others.
Seriously, what the hell was he supposed to say here?
We want the General Manager publicly questioning the starting shortstop's ability to play the position?
The second he waivers, the first mealy-mouthed "weighing our options" statement, this becomes a total clown show. The only question the player and the GM gets from that point forward. A daily reminder to Oneil that your own boss has lost confidence in your ability.
Put yourself in Oneil's shoes for literally one second and ask yourself how you'd feel if your boss was openly questioning your competency for the entire world to see.
One of the reasons I really hate the timing of this move is his bat. Cruz is just starting to breakout with the bat, why make a major change during his breakout to cloud his focus now. The move to center should have at least been tried when he first arrived in Charleston with the Power at least on a limited basis. There should have been plenty of time at the training site in 2020 to experiment with Newman coming off his solid 2019 season as a reason for it. I'm all for the move just really dislike the timing, but I'm pulling for Cruz to take to it like a fish in water and praying it's not like a fish on a river bank.