Pirates' Oneil Cruz Showing Promise at New Position
Oneil Cruz has the unenviable task of having to learn a new position in the middle of the season with the Pittsburgh Pirates moving him from shortstop to center field on Aug. 26.
While Cruz has been far from perfect, the 6-foot-7 center fielder has shown signs of acclimating well to the position change. No play proved that more than the spectacular play he made in the first inning of the Pirates' 3-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday at Busch Stadium.
In the bottom of the first inning, Cardinals shortstop Mason Winn roped a 1-2 fastball from Luis Ortiz into the right-center-field gap. Cruz made a daring dash to his left before leaving his feet to make the diving grab for the first out of the inning.
We'd say Oneil Cruz is adjusting to center field quite nicely 😳 pic.twitter.com/Mwf5ShC6z4
— MLB (@MLB) September 20, 2024
MLB.com's Alex Stumpf reported that Cruz's catch had a 20 percent catch probability, making it the best play of his brief tenure in center field. Cruz has started 15 games in center field this season for Pittsburgh.
The position change came after Cruz struggled mightily at shortstop, ranking second in errors only to Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz. He also had -3 outs above average in his 112 games at shortstop, according to FanGraphs' metrics.
FanGraphs has credited Cruz with one out above average across his 131 innings in center field. Outside of that stat, though, Cruz has played like one in the midst of a position change. Cruz has a pair of throwing errors and he has -3 defensive runs saved by FanGraphs' metrics.
For StatCast, the 6-foot-7 center fielder's runs above average with his range is one, while his arm is a -1.
Cruz's position change shouldn't have been expected to be a seamless one. Plays like the one he made against St. Louis is a more than promising sign, though, and one of the key difference-makers in what turned out to be a one-run victory for the Pirates.
With a full offseason to work on his defense in center field, Cruz should return a much more improved defender. And if his play on Thursday is any indication, making the switch from shortstop to center field could be one of the better decisions Pittsburgh could have made for one of its prized players.
