Oneil Cruz is not only one of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ top prospects but unquestionably the hottest. The Altoona Curve shortstop is riding a 20-game on-base streak, crushing tape-measure home runs and showing off his athleticism and above-average arm.
Before the Pirates promote him to Triple-A Indianapolis, general manager Ben Cherington wants to see how the 6-foot-7 Cruz plays in the outfield. The 22-year-old, ranked their No. 2 prospect by Baseball America and No. 3 by MLB Pipeline, made a cameo there in spring training but has played primarily at short in his minor league career.
“I know I’ve talked before, I do expect we’re going to see him move around the field a little bit,” Cherington said Saturday on a video conference call. “It’s probably something we want to see done in Double-A and where he’s at now.”
Cruz has 10 errors in 35 games at shortstop this season after committing 16 in 73 games in 2019. The Pirates also are in need of outfielders, especially those who can hit for power in the corner spots, and are pushing for versatility throughout the system.
“We do want to see him continue to play shortstop, for sure,” Cherington said. “That’s going to continue to be a part of it. The infield will remain a part of it for sure. I would expect the outfield will come into play. When guys get to the upper levels, then, part of moving around the field is just an obligation to help them be prepared for the major leagues. I think we almost owe it to players to give them a chance to do it so that they kind of have those tools in their belt, so to speak, in case that comes up.”
Cruz has impressed with his raw power as he is batting .298 with a .913 OPS, seven doubles, three triples and eight home runs for 26 RBIs in 35 games. Over the past 20 games, Cruz has four doubles, three triples, six homers and 17 RBIs.
Cherington, however, reminded that Cruz spent last season at the alternate training site and doesn’t have much experience above Class A ball, getting only 260 at-bats in 70 games at Double-A Altoona.
“Still not a lot,” Cherington said. “We like where he’s at. He’s doing his part, and when young players do their part and do well and do it consistently enough for long enough, then obviously that’s good and we’ll want to move them up. We haven’t talked about any specific timeframe on that with Oneil, but we’re very encouraged by what he’s doing.”
