PITTSBURGH — Back when the Pittsburgh Pirates looked like contenders, one of their most interesting storylines was Oneil Cruz having a breakout season.
The mercurial center fielder was beginning to realize his full potential. Cruz was showing more consistency than at any point in his six-year career. More importantly, he was giving his full effort every day after lacking in that department for much of his career.
I asked Cruz, whose English is limited, earlier in the season why he was smiling more this year, both on the field and in the clubhouse.
“Because I’m happy,” he said. “It’s the most fun I’ve ever had playing baseball.”
Cruz was hitting .264/.350/.472 with 14 home runs and 21 bases in 64 games before breaking two bones in his right hand and being placed on the injured list on June 8.
More than two months later, Cruz was activated on Monday night before the Pirates lost to the Detroit Tigers 8-5 to begin a three-game series at PNC Park. The left-handed hitter did not play against left-hander and archenemy Framber Valdez but is expected to be in the lineup on Tuesday night when the Tigers plan to start right-hander Keider Montero.
Cruz’s return is too late to save the Pirates’ season. They are 6 ½ games behind the San Diego Padres for the third National League wild card and are in line to miss the postseason for an 11th consecutive year.
Nevertheless, the Pirates are hoping Cruz can provide a spark and help them finish the season strong despite a 61-66 record. The Pirates were 34-32 when they lost Cruz.
“There’s a lot of ways that Oneil can help us win,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said Monday. “We all know he’s got the power, the arm strength in the outfield, the speed on the bases. Just excited to have him back to help us win.”
While the bones have healed, Cruz still feels pain on some swings. He’ll have to deal with it over the season’s final 35 games, and it may keep him from playing every day.
A strong finish would benefit all parties. Cruz is in his second season of arbitration eligibility and could command a substantial raise from his $3.3-million salary this season. The 27-year-old could also boost his trade value, though signals are mixed on whether the Pirates might deal him in the winter.
“He certainly was getting better and taking a step forward,” Kelly said. “He missed a lot of time, too. How do we manage this? He’s hugely important to us to be in there and help him get back to exactly where he was when he left off. ” A good way is managing it and helping him get there.”
An interesting aspect of Cruz’s return is that designated hitter Marcell Ozuna is no longer with the Pirates after being released on Aug. 6. Though Ozuna was a disappointment on the field, he was an outstanding mentor to Cruz. Ozuna’s biggest piece of advice was to be prepared every day and be engaged.
Anyone who has followed the Pirates during Cruz’s time with the club knows that the engaged Oneil is fun to watch and the disengaged Oneil is infuriating.
It will be interesting to see which version the Pirates get.
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