Pirates' Oneil Cruz 'Disappointed' With Position Change
Changing positions at the big league level is already tough enough as it is when a player is moving to a position they have never played.
It's even tougher if said player isn't completely on the same page with the move.
Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton announced on Monday that Oneil Cruz will be making the move from shortstop to center field. Cruz spoke about the impending move on Tuesday and 93.7 The Fan reported that the 25-year-old said was disappointed and surprised with the move through coach and translator Stephen Morales. With that decision now in the rearview mirror, Cruz is focused on becoming the best center fielder he can become.
"I see it this way," Cruz said via Morales. "I'm going to be playing in the middle of the diamond still in the outfield and all I have to do is erase it from my mind that I was a shortstop and do my best out there as a center fielder."
Shelton spoke about the move and how the decision wasn't an easy one for the organization, though, it's clear they believe the move from shortstop to center field is what's best for Cruz.
“I think as of right now, we’re looking at him as a center fielder,” Shelton said. “It’s something that we’ve been talking about. It’s not something that we took lightly. He’s an unbelievable athlete. We feel it’s probably the best position for him and for the Pirates. We wanted to make sure we got a runway of games going into next year for that to be important. Excited to see him out there. I mean, this kid’s a dynamic athlete and with the way that we’re set up now we feel like that’s the best thing for him.”
Cruz isn't the first player to be moved from shortstop to the outfield in recent memory. The San Diego Padres made a similar decision with Fernando Tatis Jr., moving him from shortstop to right field. Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reported that Cruz plans to reach out to Tatis to get advice on making the position change.
Cruz has struggled at shortstop in his first full season in the big leagues. His 24 errors are the second-most in the MLB, only trailing Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, who has 26. Of his 24 errors, 12 have been bad throws and 12 have been fielding.
Being bought into the position change is going to be imperative for Cruz if he's going to blossom in center field. Given his athletic ability and the fact that he's only 25, there's no reason to believe he can't find success in the outfield as long as he puts in the work to get acclimated to life as a center fielder.
NATHANIEL MARRERO