Oneil Cruz
26-Year-Old
2024 Stats
AVG
.259
HR
21
RBI
76
R
72
SB
22
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
Sitting versus southpaw
Cruz is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Yankees.
ANALYSIS
The left-handed-hitting Cruz will be given a day off as the Yankees send southpaw Carlos Rodon to the bump. Billy Cook is in center field and batting ninth for the Pirates in the series opener.
The left-handed-hitting Cruz will be given a day off as the Yankees send southpaw Carlos Rodon to the bump. Billy Cook is in center field and batting ninth for the Pirates in the series opener.
Batting Stats
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2024
2023
2022
2021
Minor League Game Log
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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
11
5
69
14
4
2
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
3
6
5
6
8
3
Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2022
+26%
OPS vs RHP
2024
+17%
OPS vs RHP
OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022vs Left | .639 | 272 | 9 | 33 | .205 | ||||
Since 2022vs Right | .808 | 728 | 30 | 101 | .266 | ||||
2024vs Left | .686 | 154 | 6 | 21 | .224 | ||||
2024vs Right | .804 | 445 | 15 | 55 | .271 | ||||
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
+26%
OPS at Home
2024
+34%
OPS at Home
OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2022Home | .848 | 502 | 21 | 81 | .286 | ||||
Since 2022Away | .675 | 498 | 18 | 53 | .212 | ||||
2024Home | .883 | 308 | 12 | 48 | .298 | ||||
2024Away | .658 | 291 | 9 | 28 | .218 | ||||
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
0.28BB Rate
8.5%K Rate
30.2%BABIP
.347ISO
.190AVG
.259OBP
.324SLG
.449OPS
.773wOBA
.335Exit Velocity
95.5 mphHard Hit Rate
41.8%Barrels/PA
9.5%Expected BA
.266Expected SLG
.472Sprint Speed
22.1 ft/secGround Ball %
47.8%Line Drive %
18.4%Fly Ball %
33.8%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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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
Tallies 20th homer
Cruz went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and two runs scored Friday against the Reds.
ANALYSIS
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Back in Pittsburgh lineup
Cruz (ankle) will start in center field and bat third in Thursday's game versus the Cardinals.
ANALYSIS
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Out again Wednesday
Cruz (ankle) isn't in Pittsburgh's lineup Wednesday against the Cardinals.
ANALYSIS
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Remains out of Pittsburgh lineup
Cruz (ankle) remains out of the lineup for Tuesday's contest in St. Louis.
ANALYSIS
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Sitting out with ankle injury
Cruz (ankle) is not in the lineup for Monday's contest in St. Louis, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Not moving off shortstop
Cruz has committed 12 errors in 27 games since the All-Star break, but Pirates GM Ben Cherington said Sunday there hasn't been any conversations about potentially moving the 25-year-old off the position, per Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com.
ANALYSIS
Errors certainly don't tell the full story, but Cruz's 24 errors this season are second most in the majors, and his struggles have ramped up in the second half. He's been worth minus-nine DRS and minus-four OAA this season, though he's been productive at the plate with 18 homers, 14 steals and a .789 OPS through 112 games.
Errors certainly don't tell the full story, but Cruz's 24 errors this season are second most in the majors, and his struggles have ramped up in the second half. He's been worth minus-nine DRS and minus-four OAA this season, though he's been productive at the plate with 18 homers, 14 steals and a .789 OPS through 112 games.