A bold new look signals a renewed focus as Cruz aims to unlock his prodigious talent and elevate his game for the Pirates.
The biggest surprise at PiratesFest last month was center fielder Oneil Cruz showing up with closely cropped hair. Gone were the dreadlocks he had worn throughout his five-year career with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Cruz had the hairstyle change in the works for months but decided finally to pull the trigger on it just a few days after last season ended.
“The only one who knew about it was (Pirates outfielder Andrew Cutchen),” Cruz said through team translator Stephen Morales. “As soon as I cut it, I called him on FaceTime. He found out right away.”
McCutchen wore dreads earlier in his career. So, what did the 39-year-old think of Cruz’s new look?
“He said you look a lot better and more handsome,” Cruz said with a laugh.
Cruz is likely to add color to his hair sometime before Pittsburgh opens the season on March 26 against the Mets in New York. He will draw inspiration from new Pirates left-handed reliever Gregory Soto, who was signed in November as a free agent. Cruz and Soto are close friends after meeting at a Major League Players Association meeting in Miami a few years ago.
“I was going come with color in my hair, but I’m just going wait until spring training starts, then decide what color,” Cruz said at PirateFest.
Regardless of hair color, the Pittsburgh needs a lot more production from Cruz than he provided last season. Though Cruz led the National League with 38 stolen bases, he hit .200/.298/.348 with 20 home runs and 174 strikeouts in 544 plate appearances.
Furthermore, Cruz had a .102 batting average against left-handed pitching in 125 trips to the plate. Topping it off, Cruz was a disaster in the field during his first full season in center with minus-14 runs saved.
The statistics are perplexing for a player with Cruz’s talent, which is among the best in baseball. However, Cruz began working on his hitting with former major-leaguer Wilton Guerrero in Cruz’s native Dominican Republic less than a week after the season ended. Cruz has also been tutored defensively by Kevin Kiermaier, who won four Gold Gloves during his 12-year career.
At 27, now is the time for Cruz to turn that vast array of physical tools into production. If not, he will go down as one of the biggest disappointments in recent Pirates’ history.
“No time to relax, definitely,” Cruz said. “The season that I had last year, it was not my best season. I just went home, no time to relax. I went right to work. Just to work on the stuff that I was having trouble with last year, and work on my body again. No time to relax. Just focus on what I need to do to get better.”
Consistent effort has been a problem for Cruz throughout his career. And he was benched by manager Don Kelly last season for a lack of hustle. However, Cruz is motivated for 2026 after general manager Ben Cherington has taken significant steps to improve Pittsburgh's roster this winter following a last-place finish in the National League Central.
“I think it’s going be a lot better this year,” Cruz said of his attitude. “It’s another year under my belt, and the pieces that we added to the team, I think it’s going help add that motivation that we need. Those guys are going to bring it.”
Pirates Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Pirates. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.