Despite offseason hype and expert tutelage, Oneil Cruz's familiar struggles resurfaced, costing the Pittsburgh Pirates on opening day.
From the first day of spring training, the Pittsburgh Pirates lauded Oneil Cruz for how hard he worked in the offseason.
General manager Ben Cherington and manager Don Kelly repeatedly praised the center fielder for spending time working on his abysmal fielding with four-time Gold Glove winner Kevin Kiermaier. The duo also discussed how Cruz had connected with former major league player Wilton Guerrero to improve his hitting.
Part of the reason the Pirates signed designated hitter Marcell Ozuna on the eve of spring training was that they felt he could mentor Cruz, a fellow Dominican.
This was all part of a big buildup, leading people—including me—to believe that this was the year Cruz would finally turn his enormous raw talent into more than just impressive Statcast metrics.
However, when opening day arrived, it was the same old Cruz in Pittsburgh's 11-7 loss to the Mets on Thursday at Citi Field in New York.
Cruz misplayed two balls in center field, which contributed to four runs in the Mets’ five-run first inning. As a result, the Mets quickly erased a 2-0 deficit and knocked reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes out of the game before the inning was over when his pitch count reached 37.
After the Mets had cut the lead to 2-1 and had the bases loaded with one out, Brett Baty hit a line drive to center field. Cruz came in on the ball and then watched it sail over his head for a three-run triple.
Marcus Semien followed by lofting a pop fly to center. Cruz lost the ball in the sun, which resulted in an RBI double that stretched the Mets’ lead to 5-2.
As a result, the air suddenly came out of the balloon. While positive spring training stories quickly seemed to have a short shelf life, moments like Cruz's challenging inning illustrate why he is one of the most perplexing Pirates in recent memory.
"The sun was right in front of my face," Cruz said through interpreter Stephen Morales to reporters after the game. "Obviously, we don't want those things to happen, but it was really uncomfortable today to have the sun right in front of my face. I was trying my best, but it was tough."
Cruz then backtracked when pressed on how much the sun was a factor in the line drive.
"Not really the first one, but the second one, for sure," Cruz said. "The first one was one of those low line drives that it takes a little more time for me to read, and they're really tough balls to read because you don't know if you're going to have to come in or go back. It got in the sun a bit at the end, but those are the ones I definitely have to get better at. And I'll get better at it, for sure."
It should also be noted that Cruz was not wearing sunglasses.
“We need to make sure we’re prepared right there,” Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly said.
At the plate, Cruz went 1 for 5 with three strikeouts, suggesting that improvement in plate discipline will continue to be an ongoing process.
It’s important to remember that judging Cruz’s season by one game isn’t fair.
Consistency has been elusive for Cruz, but his potential keeps expectations high. At some point, though, potential has an expiration date.
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