Oneil Cruz's raw talent is so extraordinary that the Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder has nearly broken Statcast since making his MLB debut during the final weekend of the 2021 season.

The 6-foot-7 Cruz can hit a baseball as hard and far as anyone in the game. He is also one of the sport's fastest baserunners. Cruz's arm strength is second to none in the big leagues.

According to Baseball Savant, Cruz led the majors in average exit velocity, bat speed, and arm strength this year. He was in the 93rd percentile in sprint speed.

Yet Cruz's statistics did not match his athletic skills, as he had just 0.3 bWAR. The 27-year-old led the National League with 38 stolen bases and hit a team-high 20 home runs, but his slash line was .200/.298/.378 in 135 games. Cruz also had a hideous minus-14 defensive runs saved.

So how could a player with such wondrous talent have such a bad season? And why hasn't Cruz become one of the game's biggest stars? That's what the Pirates are hoping to figure out between now and the start of spring training.

"It's definitely something that we're really, really digging into and focused on," Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said. "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.

"Mostly, it just comes down to approach and swing decisions with him. When he makes contact and barrels the ball, still really good things happen."

Contact has been a career-long problem for Cruz, as he has 493 strikeouts in 1,553 plate appearances. This year, he struck out 174 times in 544 trips to the plate.

The Pirates really need to take a step forward in 2026 if they are to contend after finishing in last place in the NL Central in 2025. The Pirates were last in MLB in runs scored, home runs, and OPS.

However, what might perplex the fans, coaching staff, and teammates the most is Cruz's inconsistent effort level. He seems engaged on some days but disinterested at others. Manager Don Kelly gave Cruz a lot of leeway this past season, but he clearly grew frustrated by the end of the year.

"Every player is unique," Cherington said. "Oneil is his own person. We've seen the exceptional gifts. We've seen him play hard. We've seen him play through injury. We've seen him play through stuff that other guys probably wouldn't play through. And there's also been times where it looks like he could hold himself to a different standard. He knows that.

"Every time it's happened, there's been a conversation. There's also been other times where he makes incredible things happen – and that's also a conversation. You want to affirm that stuff, too. That's just as important. Every player is unique and immature in their own way. We've got to hold the standard high, keep the standard high, and keep working with him on it."