Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz absorbed valuable lessons from baseball legends and embraced Dominican culture, showcasing his power and all-around game at the World Baseball Classic.
The Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t played on any big stages during Oneil Cruz’s time in the major leagues.
Cruz made his debut late in the 2021 season as the tallest shortstop in major league history at 6-foot-7. He will enter this season as a 27-year-old center fielder.
Despite Cruz’s talent, he remains hidden from most baseball fans. The Pirates haven't reached the postseason since 2015 or appeared on Sunday Night Baseball since 2017.
Nevertheless, Cruz has embraced the few times that he has been in the spotlight.
Cruz showcased his power last summer at the Home Run Derby in Atlanta. He spent three weeks with Team Dominican Republic at the WBC, showing off his all-around skills.
Cruz had eight plate appearances in four games for Team Dominica, which lost to the United States in the semifinals on Sunday. He went 3 for 5 with a double, two home runs, and three walks.
After returning to the Pirates on Tuesday, Cruz talked about the WBC with reporters at Pittsburgh’s spring training camp in Bradenton, Fla.
"I feel very proud of what I did, just because I prepared myself during the offseason for spring training, and that event in particular," Cruz said. “I surprised myself a little bit with all the things that I did in a short amount of at-bats and playing time. I feel proud of myself because of the way the WBC went and the way I did."
However, Cruz may have benefited even more from what happened off the field. Many of baseball’s best players were his teammates. Future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols managed the Dominican team, and former big-league third baseman Fernando Tatis Sr. was one of the coaches.
“I was around a lot of people that played really good baseball in their careers, and I took a lot of takeaways from those guys,” Cruz said.
Cruz had a meaningful conversation with Tatis, an 11-season MLB veteran and father of Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. Cruz kept details private but said he will carry the conversation throughout his career.
No team seemed to enjoy the WBC more than the Dominicans, celebrating big moments with flair.
“It’s about culture,” Cruz said. “Our culture down in the Dominican, as baseball players, is to have fun, and during the Classic, it wasn’t an exception. We were going to have fun, and I think we did, big time.”
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.