Oneil Cruz
25-Year-Old
2024 Stats
AVG
.000
HR
0
RBI
0
R
0
SB
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Cruz's season lasted all of nine games before he fractured his ankle on a contact play April 9 against the Chicago White Sox. He attempted to come back before the end of the season, but the soreness in his ankle never quite went away and the team decided to shut him down and get him healthy for 2024. It is best if we just wash 2023 away and look back at 2022 where we saw him strike out at a high volume, yet his O-Swing percentage as well as his overall contact percentage improved as the season went on. Cruz should have the double blessing of hitting in the middle of the Pittsburgh lineup as well as the permission to play every day that his ankle permits him on the field. We may not see the same speed we saw from him right away, but the power should be there as he is reacclimated himself to the grind of daily games at the big league level. This is more of a rust/reward issue than a risk/reward one. Read Past Outlooks
Batting sixth against left-hander
Cruz is starting at shortstop and batting sixth in Thursday's opener in Miami.
ANALYSIS
Cruz was a fixture atop the Pirates' batting order this spring when he walloped seven Grapefruit League home runs. However, with left-hander Jesus Luzardo on the bump for the Marlins, he'll slide down to the six spot for Opening Day while Connor Joe bats leadoff. Cruz should be the regular leadoff man against right-handers.
Cruz was a fixture atop the Pirates' batting order this spring when he walloped seven Grapefruit League home runs. However, with left-hander Jesus Luzardo on the bump for the Marlins, he'll slide down to the six spot for Opening Day while Connor Joe bats leadoff. Cruz should be the regular leadoff man against right-handers.
Batting Stats
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2023
2022
2021
Minor League Game Log
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Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2022
+42%
OPS vs RHP
2024
No Stats
OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022vs Left | .575 | 118 | 3 | 12 | .179 | ||||
Since 2022vs Right | .816 | 283 | 15 | 46 | .257 | ||||
2024vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2024vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2023vs Left | 1.314 | 7 | 0 | 1 | .600 | ||||
2023vs Right | .636 | 33 | 1 | 3 | .185 | ||||
2022vs Left | .532 | 111 | 3 | 11 | .158 | ||||
2022vs Right | .837 | 250 | 14 | 43 | .265 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2022
+13%
OPS at Home
2024
No Stats
OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022Home | .792 | 194 | 9 | 33 | .267 | ||||
Since 2022Away | .700 | 207 | 9 | 25 | .202 | ||||
2024Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2024Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2023Home | .684 | 13 | 0 | 1 | .222 | ||||
2023Away | .768 | 27 | 1 | 3 | .261 | ||||
2022Home | .795 | 181 | 9 | 32 | .269 | ||||
2022Away | .690 | 180 | 8 | 22 | .194 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Stat Review
How does Oneil Cruz compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
BB/K
0.88BB Rate
17.5%K Rate
20.0%BABIP
.292ISO
.125AVG
.250OBP
.375SLG
.375OPS
.750wOBA
.339Exit Velocity
89.5 mphHard Hit Rate
8.0%Barrels/PA
2.5%Expected BA
.214Expected SLG
.368Sprint Speed
23.1 ft/secGround Ball %
44.0%Line Drive %
8.0%Fly Ball %
48.0%Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
Games By Position
Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Oneil Cruz See More
Injuries and signings have caused plenty of shifts in our rankings over the last two weeks, with Elly De La Cruz jumping up six spots due to teammates missing time.
Ronald Acuna holds onto the top spot in the RotoWire Roundtable despite his knee scare, but there's plenty of movement behind him.
Latest Fantasy Rumors
No word on extension talks
There is "no word yet" on extension talks between Cruz and the Pirates, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
ANALYSIS
It seems like Pittsburgh's primary focus right now is Bryan Reynolds, who requested a trade over the winter and is now believed to have put an Opening Day deadline on any long-term talks. Cruz only has 89 major-league games on his ledger and he can't reach free agency until after the 2028 season, but his price tag will only go up if he develops into the star-level player many talent evaluators think he can be.
It seems like Pittsburgh's primary focus right now is Bryan Reynolds, who requested a trade over the winter and is now believed to have put an Opening Day deadline on any long-term talks. Cruz only has 89 major-league games on his ledger and he can't reach free agency until after the 2028 season, but his price tag will only go up if he develops into the star-level player many talent evaluators think he can be.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Cruz is a walking highlight reel. He is a physical specimen at 6-foot-7, 210 pounds and packs some of the loudest tools you're ever likely to see on a baseball field. In late August, Cruz hit a batted ball at 122.4 mph, setting a new record for the Statcast era. His sprint speed ranked in the 98th percentile last season. As expected, there were some swing-and-miss issues (34.9 K%), though he shaved the strikeouts down over the season's final month and really took off (.288/.359/.525). The upside is obvious with the former top prospect, but it's important to remember that he's still just 24 years old and will be playing for a Pirates team without much around him in one of the game's worst ballparks for offense.
More Fantasy News
Impressive showing in spring
Cruz is hitting .292 with four home runs and one stolen base across 25 plate appearances in Grapefruit League games.
ANALYSIS
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Making first spring start
Cruz (ankle) will start at shortstop and bat leadoff in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Orioles.
ANALYSIS
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At full speed in camp
Cruz is participating without restrictions in spring camp, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Fully recovered from injury
Pirates manager Derek Shelton confirmed Saturday that Cruz is fully recovered from left ankle surgery, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
ANALYSIS
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Back in action in instructionals
Pirates manager Derek Shelton confirmed Monday that Cruz (ankle) has resumed participating in instructional games in the Dominican Republic this offseason, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
ANALYSIS
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