Oneil Cruz makes top-10 list for centerfielders

Definitely a top 10 centerfielder on the Pirates right now.

Former shortstop turned centerfielder Oneil Cruz is always likely to turn heads. From his insane arm strength shattering statcast records, to his home runs raising the Jolly Roger, he’s just hard to ignore. Something I couldn’t ignore however is that MLB Network placed him upon their list of the best centerfielders in the game, which in all honesty boggles my mind.

Right off the bat, you cannot overlook the fact that Cruz has only made 23 appearances at the position. So off rip, it just feels weird even thinking of him with that group. He is nowhere near the centerfielder that Mike Trout is, but then again who is. Even the rookie of the year runner-up, Jackson Merrill is in another stratosphere compared to Cruz.

In his 23 appearances, he was hitting at an all-time low to end the season, registering just one hit in his last seven games of the season. Although he didn’t finish the year very hot at the plate, he showed some promise in what was his longest season, as he appeared in 146 contests and hit 21 homers with a .259 average. However, the 181 strikeouts that he suffered from still show that there is more to be done. He certainly has all of the natural tools to be a great hitter, but some of the pieces still need putting together.

Defensively, while at shortstop, Cruz was a liability. Besides Elly De La Cruz, no other player at the position committed more errors in 2024. While in the outfield, he did commit two errors in that 23-game span, which was expected, as he was thrown into a new position with the season nearly finished, so I’m not going to knock him for that. That being said, you have to wonder if those same kind of struggles are going to follow him to center.

On the flip side, Cruz is a freak athlete, and this move could work out better than I expect it to. One of the best examples of this is the Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. Similarly Tatis committed far too many errors while playing short, and was just too inconsistent. However, since his move to right field, he’s been an elite defender, winning the Gold Glove and Platinum Glove awards in his first season at right. Cruz has the incredible arm strength to make tough throws from the outfield and has plenty of speed to cover a large area as well.

Still though, is Cruz really a top centerfielder in the game? Granted he’s only ninth, but that still seems really high. Does he have top 10 potential? I wouldn’t argue with that notion. But at this point, there is still so much that needs to be seen before he’s really worthy of that nomination. This next season will certainly be a great indication as the whether he can rise to that elite group of centerfielders, and hopefully he can. Perhaps this is the move that helps Cruz advance to that next level that Pirates fans have been waiting for.