On First Opening Day, Oneil Cruz Shows Why Pittsburgh Pirates Consider Him Franchise Player

It was a case of power versus power between two potential superstars.

Reds right-hander Hunter Greene threw a 101.3-mph fastball in the third inning of Thursday’s season opener at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz launched the pitch 425 feet into the right-center field stands for a solo home run that had a 111.1-mph exit velocity.

It was as if the 23-year-old Greene and 24-year-old Cruz had conspired to break Statcast.

It was also an example of why both players are expected to eventually lead their rebuilding teams to better days.

Greene fronts a Reds rotation that also includes two other talented youngsters in left-hander Nick Lodolo and righty Graham Ashcraft. Cruz hits leadoff in a Pirates lineup that included five players 26 or younger on Thursday.

Cruz’s homer drew the Pirates into a 1-1 tie. He would eventually drive in an even bigger run when his eighth-inning sacrifice fly snapped a 4-4 deadlock and gave the Pirates a 5-4 victory in a game that matched two teams that lost 100 games in 2022.

It was Cruz’s first opening day in the major league and just
just
the 90^th game of career that has been notable for him becoming the tallest shortstop in major-league history at 6-foot-7.

“It couldn’t (have been) better,” Cruz said. “I hit a home run and drove in the go-ahead run. It was really good, a really good start to the season.

“It’s all part of any baseball player’s dream to do all those things on opening day and help the team win.”

The Pirates are dreaming of the day Cruz leads them to championships as the cornerstone player of a franchise revival. The Pirates haven’t won a division title since 1992 and last won a postseason series in 1979 when they defeated the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series.

Cruz has shown flashes of brilliance in his nascent big-league career with 18 home runs and 10 stolen bases. However, he has also struck out 130 times in 375 plate appearances.

The fear, certainly from people outside the organization, is that all the strikeouts and general lack of plate discipline will sabotage Cruz’s chances of becoming a superstar.

However, Cruz showed growth in that area on the first day of the 2023 season. In addition to the home run and sacrifice fly, he walked twice and did not strike out in any of his five plate appearances.

The scoring fly ball might have been Cruz’s best moment – even on a day when he smoked the home run.

With the score tied 4-4 in the eighth inning, one out and speedy rookie Ji Hwan Bae on third base, Cruz did not overswing. He grasped the idea of situational hitting.

“Yes, for sure I was shortening my swinging a little bit just because the importance of that run,” Cruz said. “(With Bae) at third base, I needed to make contact no matter what to get that run across the plate.”

Cruz’s execution of that plan of attack was heartening to Pirates manager Derek Shelton.

“He doesn’t have to take full swings at times,” Shelton said. “I think we can see that as strong as he is, as big as he is, the commitment to just shortening up and putting the ball in play. That’s hard to do for a guy who’s 6-7 with really long arms. But to be able to see that today was really impressive.

“That stands out, all of his at-bats, because he really didn’t chase anything. I think the one at-bat that he walked, he chased a ball down early, then kinda locked it in. It was like he had seen something down, then really made the pitcher make adjustments and get in the zone. Definitely very encouraging.”