On Wednesday evening, three errors by Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz renewed the outcry to move him off shortstop. That night, the Pirates suffered a disappointing 5-4 loss against the Astros in Houston. It prevented the Bucs from sweeping the series after winning the first two games. A solid outing by surprise starter Jake Woodford, making his Pirates debut, was wasted. Woodford pitched five innings of two-hit ball but allowed three runs, all of which were unearned, thanks to Cruz.
The usually reliable reliever Colin Holderman was charged with the loss when he entered the game in the sixth inning and gave up the winning home run to pinch-hitter Mauricio Dubón. But it never should have gotten to that point. In the second inning, the Astros’ Jeremy Peña reached on a throwing error by Cruz and scored with two outs. In the third with two outs, Cruz raced into left field and muffed a fly ball that could have easily been caught by left fielder Bryan Reynolds. Cruz then followed that with a bad throw home. The double error allowed two runs to score.
Pirates Cruz Won’t Move Off Shortstop, Despite Public Outcry
The left-handed-hitting Cruz, 25, is a combination of size, speed, power, and throwing arm unseen on the Pirates since Dave Parker. The exit velocity off his bat and the speed of his throws wow the Statcast followers on an almost nightly basis. To say the least, it’s unusual to see a six-foot-seven, 215-pound shortstop. Parker was a right fielder who also played some center field early in his career. That’s where some fans would like to see Cruz.
Entering Friday’s games, Cruz has committed 20 errors in 94 games at shortstop. His advanced defensive stats show -3 Fielding Runs Above Average and -8 Defensive Runs Saved. FanGraphs ranks him as the 30th-best shortstop of 38 qualifying shortstops. Cruz has looked like a future superstar in the making. He’s also looked surprisingly raw, given that he previously spent six seasons in the minor leagues.
There are a few reasons why the Pirates won’t move Cruz off shortstop, this season or for a long time.
Cruz Wants to Be a Shortstop
Cruz reportedly doesn’t want to play anywhere else but shortstop. Old-timers will say, “I’d like to see him say that to Leo Durocher!” It doesn’t matter. It’s a different era. Managers and front offices try to keep their star players happy, especially if the star player is somebody they hope to sign to a long-term contract extension, which is something the Pirates have approached Cruz about before.
He’s Not a Good Outfielder, Either
Let’s put aside the absurdity of introducing a player to a new position at the major league level during a pennant race. Where could Cruz be moved? First base would be a waste of his speed and strong arm. The idea of moving him to the outfield isn’t exactly an original thought. The Pirates thought about it, too, and gave it a try in 2022. That year, Cruz played 10 games in left field for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians. He had 20 putouts and two errors, for an unacceptable .909 fielding average. Of course, he has the skills to develop into a good outfielder. But the Pirates must have decided they’d seen enough of Cruz in the outfield. Cruz made the move back to shortstop.
Additionally, although the Pirates have gone most of the season with little production from their outfielders, that’s begun to turn around. Newly acquired Bryan De La Cruz has taken over right field and is expected to provide much-needed power. At long last, struggling center fielder Michael A. Taylor is showing signs of coming out of his season-long slump. This week, he hit two home runs in Houston that measured Mickey Mantle-type distance. One of these players would have to be used as the designated hitter, bumping Andrew McCutchen to the bench. “Cutch” has settled in as a leadoff hitter. His .325 OBP is second on the team.
Above-Average Defense at Third Base Might Make Up for Cruz
FanGraphs ranks Pirates third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes as No. 3 among 40 third basemen defensively. He’s a plus player despite his struggles with the bat. A slick-fielding third baseman doesn’t quite offset the effects of a poor-fielding shortstop because a shortstop will get more chances. However, Hayes has good range to his left and cuts off a lot of balls that would get through to Cruz (Or at least that’s how it looks to the naked eye. Strangely, FanGraphs credits him with zero outs above average when moving toward first base. Conversely, recently acquired infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who FanGraphs ranks No. 10, is credited with four outs above average when moving to his left.).
Cruz Isn’t That Bad at Fielding Grounders
Of Cruz’s 20 errors, nine are throwing errors and 11 are fielding errors. No stats could be found on dropped pop-ups and fly balls, but to this observer, the 11 fielding errors include an inordinate amount of dropped pop-ups. Throwing errors and dropped balls are correctable. They indicate a lack of concentration rather than a lack of skill. That’s correctable during the season without sending the player to the minors or an instructional league.
The Last Word
Cruz needs to improve as a shortstop, but there’s no reason to move him from there. The Pirates need what he brings to the table offensively. When he was injured for all except nine games last year, it was obvious his absence was felt. Meanwhile, it wouldn’t hurt to replace him defensively with the superior fielder Alika Williams in the late innings when ahead. For this writer, that’s where the solution lies.
Photo Credit: © Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports
