By now, the reader is aware that the Pittsburgh Pirates will move star shortstop Oneil Cruz to center field. The move resolves a crowded infield now that Nick Gonzales has joined the active roster after returning from his rehab assignment. It allows Gonzales to return to his familiar second base position, with Isiah Kiner-Falefa sliding over to shortstop. This will be the defensive alignment for the rest of the season. Meanwhile, it will be a relief to Pirates fans weary of Cruz’s errors and sub-.200 hitters like Michael A. Taylor, Ji Hwan Bae, and Jack Suwinski in center field.
We have made the following roster moves:
• Placed C Joey Bart on the 10-day injured list
• Recalled C Henry Davis from Triple-A Indianapolis.
• Ended the rehab assignment of INF Nick Gonzales and reinstated him from the injured list
• Designated RHP Jake Woodford for…
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) August 26, 2024
Pirates’ Move of Cruz to Center Field was Long Overdue
The move makes sense in light of Cruz’s poor defense in his first full year as a regular major league shortstop. In 2024, he’s committed 24 errors and been charged with -9 Defensive Runs Saved Above Average.
It’s a surprise, however, in light of Cruz’s well-known stated desire to play shortstop in the major leagues. With the Pirates reportedly interested in adding his signature to a long-term contract as they’ve done with other star players lately, most recently Mitch Keller, the Pirates wanted to keep him happy. Now one would assume the Pirates have no interest in a long-term deal with Cruz if he’s going to be an error-prone shortstop.
The Good News
Center field is an apt position where the Pirates and Cruz can take advantage of his superior speed and arm. Meanwhile, the Pirates won’t lose his bat in the lineup. Cruz is hitting .265/.323/.466, 18 HR, and 63 RBI. The latter two figures rank second on the Pirates. He’s been one of their hottest hitters lately, too. Since July 2, he’s hitting .314/.375/.541.
The Bad News
However, there’s some bad news, too. An unacceptable number of Cruz’s errors at shortstop have resulted from a lack of concentration. These consisted of bad throws, dropped pop flies, and missed throws while covering second base. Whether Cruz can maintain his concentration in the outfield, further away from the action remains to be seen. Moreover, Cruz played left field in 10 games at Triple-A Indianapolis in 2022. If the Pirates liked what they saw out there, they may have carried that experiment further. Indeed, Cruz committed two errors in 22 chances there.
Additionally, Cruz seems to be a slow learner. There are constant mental lapses that shouldn’t be happening at this point in his career. On Saturday, for example, with the Cincinnati Reds leading the Pirates, 8-2, Cruz led off the fourth inning with a double. However, he tried to advance to third base when the next batter hit a grounder to the shortstop. He was thrown out easily. Plays like this raise the question of how long it will take Cruz to learn the outfield.
An Infield Solution
On Monday night against the Chicago Cubs, Cruz was in the lineup as the designated hitter while Bae patrolled center field for the Pirates. That’s where Cruz will be until he’s deemed ready for the outfield after a few practice sessions.
The deadline deal that brought Kiner-Falefa to Pittsburgh seemed to be a short-term solution with Gonzales out. One of them would be the odd man out upon Gonzales’ return. However, Kiner-Falefa has played well as a Pirate and should be retained for the long term. This new defensive alignment should keep both Gonzales and Kiner-Falefa in Pittsburgh for a while. Perhaps this was general manager Ben Cherington’s unspoken master plan all along when he made the deal for Kiner-Falefa.
What it means for the Pirates is one less sub-.200 hitter in the everyday lineup. The Pirates rank toward the bottom of the major leagues in most of the important offensive categories. It’s tough to generate much offense when the bottom third of the order is struggling to hit .200. It’s the equivalent of three innings per game where the Pirates are virtually guaranteed not to score.
The Last Word
For Monday’s wild loss to the Cubs, the Pirates’ first seven hitters were Kiner-Falefa, Bryan Reynolds, Cruz, Gonzales, Rowdy Tellez, deadline acquisition Bryan De La Cruz, and hot-hitting Yasmani Grandal. It’s not Murderer’s Row but has a little more “length,” as the baseball talking heads like to say, with Gonzales in place of Taylor.
Taylor’s banishment from Pittsburgh has been predicted by this writer on numerous occasions on these pages. With his placement on outright waivers on Sunday, his days finally appear to be numbered. Although he’s a good defensive player, he’s been a nonentity on offense with his 53 OPS+. It seems unlikely another team would claim Taylor and assume the rest of his $4 million salary. For now, Taylor is a Pirate, but he may not be for long.
Finally, the prediction here is that Cruz will become an above-average center fielder and will come to enjoy playing there, once he makes a few plays that make the highlight shows and realizes how impactful a good center fielder can be.
Photo Credit: © Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
