It has been a frustrating season for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and no player encapsulates that more than Oneil Cruz.

Cruz is easily the most talented player on the roster. The center fielder has power, speed, and a strong arm.

Yet the 26-year-old is hitting just .203/.302/.384 in 132 games. Cruz's underachieving performance is part of the reason why the Pirates have a 68-89 record with five games remaining and will finish last in the National League Central for a second straight season.

Cruz frustrates the fans, the media, and even many of his teammates. It turns out that Cruz is frustrated as well.

"I know I can do better," Cruz said through team translator Stephen Morales. "The season's not going the way that I want."

Yet Cruz is still showing why he tantalizes the Pirates and talent evaluators throughout baseball. He hit his 20th home run of the season in a 4-2 victory over the Reds on Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

That made Cruz just the second Pirates player in history with at least 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a single season. Barry Bonds performed that feat three times – in 1987, 1990, and 1992.

Cruz leads the NL with 38 steals. Yet he seems capable of so much more.

"It's definitely something that we're really, really digging into and focused on," Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said of Cruz's struggles. "It's really important. We thought he was there for a couple of months. He got off to a little bit of a rough start, stabilized and then was proving he could play center field. That part, I think, he mostly has done. It looked like for a couple of months that he was about to reach that next level, but it hasn't happened.

"I think particularly since the All-Star break, the offensive production just hasn't been there. He's aware of that. We're digging into it with him. I think the offseason is going to be really important for him. Mostly, it just comes down to approach and swing decisions with him."