Biographical

Portrait of Oneil Cruz

Oneil Cruz SS  

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2019 Projections (Preseason PECOTA - seasonal age 20)
PA AVG HR R RBI SB DRC+ WARP
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Birth Date10-4-1998
Height6' 7"
Weight210 lbs
Age26 years, 10 months, 15 days
BatsL
ThrowsR
2015
2016
2017
2018
-1.82019
proj
WARP Summary

MLB Statistics

YEAR TEAM AGE G PA H 2B 3B HR BB SO HBP SB CS AVG OBP SLG DRC+ DRAA BRR FRAA BWARP

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.
Minor league stats are currently shown —Click to hide.
YEAR Team Lg LG G PA oppAVG oppOBP oppSLG BABIP BPF BRAA repLVL POS_ADJ DRC+ DRC+ SD FRAA BRR DRAA BWARP
2016 DDO Rk DSL 55 211 .237 .330 .317 .382 101 6.7 6.2 0.6 146 0 3.8 0.0 6.4 1.7
2017 GRL A MID 89 375 .252 .324 .384 .323 97 -1.1 10.5 1.3 83 0 -9.1 3.2 -6.7 -0.1
2017 WVA A SAL 16 63 .262 .323 .383 .323 102 0.4 1.8 0.2 78 0 0.6 1.0 -1.3 0.2
2018 WVA A SAL 103 443 .248 .314 .376 .346 99 17.2 12.4 5.6 130 0 -5.9 2.5 13.0 2.9
2019 BRD A+ FSL 35 145 .237 .303 .352 .374 99 9 3.9 1.8 152 0 2.2 0.1 6.9 1.6
2019 ALT AA EAS 35 136 .235 .308 .360 .365 97 3.9 3.5 1.6 121 0 2.9 1.1 2.8 1.3
2019 PIR Rk GCL 3 11 .258 .367 .345 .667 105 3 0.3 0.2 209 0 -0.2 0.3 1.1 0.2

Statistics For All Levels

Minor league stats are currently shown —Click to hide.
Year Team lvl LG PA AB R H 2B 3B HR TB RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG ISO SF SH
2016 DDO Rk DSL 211 187 28 55 18 5 0 83 23 22 44 11 5 .294 .367 .444 .150 1 0
2017 GRL A MID 375 342 51 82 9 1 8 117 36 28 110 8 7 .240 .293 .342 .102 5 0
2017 WVA A SAL 63 55 9 12 2 1 2 22 8 8 22 0 0 .218 .317 .400 .182 0 0
2018 WVA A SAL 443 402 66 115 25 7 14 196 59 34 100 11 5 .286 .343 .488 .201 4 0
2019 ALT AA EAS 136 119 14 32 8 3 1 49 17 15 35 3 1 .269 .346 .412 .143 2 0
2019 BRD A+ FSL 145 136 21 41 6 1 7 70 16 8 38 7 3 .301 .345 .515 .213 0 0
2019 PIR Rk GCL 11 10 0 6 1 0 0 7 1 1 1 1 0 .600 .636 .700 .100 0 0

Plate Discipline

YEAR Pits Zone% Swing% Contact% Z-Swing% O-Swing% Z-Contact% O-Contact% SwStr% CSAA

Injury History  —  No longer being updated

Last Update: 12/31/2014 23:59 ET

Date On Date Off Transaction Days Games Side Body Part Injury Severity Surgery Date Reaggravation

Compensation

Year Team Salary
2023 PIT $720,000
2022 PIT $
2021 PIT $
2020 PIT $
YearsDescriptionSalary
1 yrPrevious$720,000
1 yrTotal$720,000

 

Service TimeAgentContract Status
0 y 110 dRepublik Sports1 year/$720,000 (2023)

Details
  • 1 year/$720,000 (2023). Re-signed by Pittsburgh 3/23.
  • 1 year (2022). Re-signed by Pittsburgh 3/22.
  • 2021
  • 2020. Contract selected by Pittsburgh 11/20/19.
  • Acquired by Pittsburgh in trade from LA Dodgers 7/31/17.
  • Signed by LA Dodgers 7/2/15 as an amateur free agent from the Dominican Republic. $950,000 signing bonus.

2019 Preseason Forecast

Last Update: 1/27/2017 12:35 ET

PCT PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG DRC+ VORP FRAA WARP
90o 386 39 79 14 2 13 44 15 119 2 1 .215 .244 .370 56 -4.5 SS -1 -0.6
80o 365 34 72 13 2 12 40 13 115 2 1 .206 .234 .358 47 -9.2 SS -1 -1.1
70o 350 32 65 12 1 11 37 12 112 2 1 .194 .221 .334 41 -12.3 SS -1 -1.4
60o 337 29 60 11 1 10 34 11 109 2 1 .186 .211 .319 36 -14.6 SS -1 -1.6
50o 325 27 55 10 1 9 32 10 106 2 1 .176 .201 .301 31 -16.7 SS -1 -1.8
40o 313 25 51 9 1 9 30 9 103 1 1 .169 .192 .296 27 -18.5 SS -1 -2.0
30o 300 23 47 8 1 8 28 9 100 1 1 .163 .187 .280 21 -20.2 SS -1 -2.2
20o 285 21 43 8 1 7 25 8 96 1 1 .157 .180 .270 15 -22.0 SS -1 -2.4
10o 264 18 36 6 1 6 22 7 91 1 1 .141 .163 .243 7 -24.0 SS -1 -2.6
Weighted Mean329285710110331110721.180.207.31333-16.0SS -1-1.8

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BP Articles

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BP Chats

DateQuestionAnswer
2022-01-21 13:00:00 (link to chat)You're starting a team from scratch. Who would take first, second and third among Shane Baz, Oneil Cruz and Jarred Kelenic, and why? Thank you for all you do.
(Diogo J from Liverpool, England)		Maaaaaaaaan, I think I'll just go with our rankings and take Baz here. I know he's a pitcher but he feels a bit less volatile than Cruz, and while I think Kelenic will be fine long term, it's tough to take a corner outfielder that struggled as badly as he did in the majors against the other two options (with the caveat that the others haven't really had a chance to fail in MLB). (Top 101 chat w/Jeffrey Paternostro)
2020-09-25 16:00:00 (link to chat)In a 14 team weekly h2h dynasty points league which of these players would you roster going into next season for a club well-positioned to win now and going forward - Nate Lowe, Hunter Dozier, Randy Arozarena and Jake Cronenworth are all currently on my roster. Available are Hampson, A Riley, McMahon, Jesus Aguilar, Jared Walsh, Brendan Rodgers, Willie Calhoun and Leody Taveras. I am also currently rostering Oneil Cruz and wondering if I should hold on a bit longer given his uncertain legal status. My current prospects include Vaughn Brujan Cruz and KRobInson. Prospects still available include Alek Thomas Brennen Davis Jordan Groshans and Corbin Carroll. Thanks for considering the question, Dylan
(dylanrox from Philly)		Some very enticing options there. For the MLBers, I really like Calhoun and Taveras--they'll be on a bad Texas team next year, but they should be centerpieces in that lineup. I would get in on Riley; the power upside is worthwhile even if the average will kind of suck. And I'd get in on Rodgers as well--we just haven't seen a healthy version of him for an extended run in the majors. Hampson and McMahon haven't really wowed, even with the Coors advantage, Walsh feels a bit flash-in-the-pan (but I'm prepared to be wrong there!), and Aguilar could be OK for a couple more years, but his skills should be easy enough to find. Of the prospects, I am heavy into Carroll, though I like all those names. I'd probably wait on Cruz's situation for a few weeks before cutting, but it isn't looking good right now. (Jon Hegglund)
2020-07-08 13:00:00 (link to chat)With the short season, any hopes for possibly seeing large adult son Oneil Cruz play any major league games? Or does he still need development? I've read his defense is still spotty
(Arky Vaughn's Ghost from Washington DC)		I think he's at least a year away. No reason for Pittsburgh to get aggressive with his playing time in a season they aren't planning or likely to be competitive in, I think. Plus, I earnestly don't think he's ready yet. (Craig Goldstein)
2020-05-01 13:00:00 (link to chat)Long term how do you see the pirates middle infield between Newman,O’Neil, peguero and cole tucker
(Bob prince from Pittsburgh)		Oneil Cruz is a bit of a unicorn. It's unclear whether he'll make enough contact to matter, or whether he can play an acceptable shortstop, but no one in the Pirates' organization has a higher upside than Cruz. I'd feel more comfortable projecting him at third; even then, though, there are so many question marks. Plus, does Ke'Bryan Hayes hit enough to lock down the hot corner anyway? I really like Peguero and would take him over Newman or Tucker. (J.P. Breen)
2020-04-17 13:00:00 (link to chat)I’ve read about O’Neil Cruz upside. Realistically though it’s hard to imagine someone with a 6’7” frame able the cover SS at the ML level. Particularly if his frame continues to fill out. Could he be headed for RF and a Dave Parker type comp? Does he show the ability to improve the strike zone judgement? Thanks for you insight.
(CubbieBear from Chi-Town)		Last week, I made this note about Cruz: "Oneil Cruz actually may be able to stick at shortstop long-term despite his unheard of height (6-foot-7) for the position. He has a huge arm, excellent range, and solid actions. There certainly is still a chance Cruz ultimately profiles at third base or right field, but the industry has more and more confidence in his ability to stick at the 6."

Of course, the odds of Cruz sticking at shortstop remain long simply because the tallest player to ever play shortstop was Cal Ripken Jr. at 6-foot-4. Three extra inches is a tall order (pun intended). However, that is the same thing people said about Ripken Jr. forty years ago. I do think Cruz will stick at shortstop and shock the baseball world. If he does not, he has easy fallback positions at 3B and RF.

Meanwhile, Cruz probably will always suffer plenty of swing-and-miss given those long levers. He has shown the ability to make adjustments and he did improve his walk rate to 11% in a brief 35-game run in Double-A last year. I think he will have fine strike zone judgment in the end. I just expect 25%+ strikeouts as close to a given. Cruz is also no Dave Parker, who had a special hit tool. (Jesse Roche)
2020-04-10 13:00:00 (link to chat)Is Cole Tucker the Pirates’ shortstop of the future?
(Buff from Colorado)		Last year, my answer would have been yes. Now, I'm not so sure. Oneil Cruz actually may be able to stick at shortstop long-term despite his unheard of height (6-foot-7) for the position. He has a huge arm, excellent range, and solid actions. There certainly is still a chance Cruz ultimately profiles at third base or right field, but the industry has more and more confidence in his ability to stick at the 6. If he does, then Tucker is certainly not the shortstop of the future in Pittsburgh. That said, Tucker will receive another extended look at some point in 2020 (if, and when, there is a season). Newman can easily slide to second base and Frazier is a better fit as a utility piece than an everyday starter. However, Tucker may need a change of scenery to truly find a fit. (Jesse Roche)
2020-03-18 13:00:00 (link to chat)How soon until large adult son Oneil Cruz makes the majors? He had a solid start to spring training.
(Raymond from DC)		Well, we have to have a majors first. I think it's going to be a bit, though. I wouldn't expect him til mid-season 2021, on the early end, in all honesty. (Craig Goldstein)
2020-02-28 13:00:00 (link to chat)What do you think about Monte Harrison and Onell Cruz-----how high are their ceilings and what are their estimated ETA's?
(rich from brookhaven)		I am a big believer in Oneil Cruz. His upside is as massive as his 6-foot-7 frame. I provided a rough peak projection in my ceiling-only Top-101 dynasty prospects: .265/.330/.500/30/10

You can find that article here: https://www.baseballprospectus.com/fantasy/article/57095/ceiling-only-dynasty-prospect-rankings-the-top-101-of-2020/

I would expect Cruz to arrive either late-2020 (September) or mid-2021. He is on the 40-man roster so a September cup-of-coffee is possible.

Harrison has big tools but tons of swing-and-miss. His ceiling is something like .250/20/20 with all kinds of risk. I would expect him to arrive at some point in 2020. He is also on the 40-man roster. (Jesse Roche)
2020-02-28 13:00:00 (link to chat)Following up on last week, Oneil Cruz is REALLY tall.
(Jordan from South Dakota)		Yes, yes he is. (Jesse Roche)
2020-02-21 13:00:00 (link to chat)Oneil Cruz is tall.
(Jordan from South Dakota)		Quite (Jesse Roche)
2020-01-23 13:00:00 (link to chat)Oneil Cruz everyone talks about his big power and size and if he can stick at SS, I wonder can he make enough contact for it to work. Is he a sell high on the power hype before the contact issues could take its toll on his value?
(brad from NJ)		He has long levers as you'd expect, but the approach and feel for contact aren't awful. His K-rate's have been a tick above-average as a pro, but he's been young for his levels, and if he can even just maintain that, the power will play. (NL Central Top 10 Chat)
2019-10-18 12:00:00 (link to chat)Hey Steve got a couple of true/false questions for you :). O'Neil Cruz will at some stage in his MLB career lead the league in home runs? Jo Adell will be at some stage in his MLB career will win the Triple Crown ? Forest Whitley will strike out 250+ in at least one season of his MLB career? Thanks for the chat mate.
(boatman44 from Liverpool)		ONeil Cruz could lead the league in home runs, given that Pete Alonso//Joey Gallo/Cody Bellinger/Christian Yelich/Nolan Arenado/etc. all get hurt. In other words, not liekly.

Jo Adell will probably strike out too much (but hey who isn't these days) to have the batting average/OBP necessary to win it.

Whitley like I stated earlier has the highest upside of any pitcher in the minors. Given how the Astros work with pitchers, a 250 strikeout season would not shock me. (Steve Givarz)
2019-09-25 13:00:00 (link to chat)How has Oneil Cruz looked in AFL so far? Whats his trajectory next year?
(Sean from Boston)		I pinged Ricky Conti who was just in Arizona for us and he had this to say about Cruz:

"ONeil put on an absolute show in BP from a low effort swing. Hes also a stick so a plus plus future raw grade isnt unreasonable. He actually handled SS just fine. The height thing doesnt seem to hold him back. He's exciting. I definitely left a lot higher on him than I was before."

Ricky will also have a detailed eyewitness account coming to the site soon, so keep an eye out for that. (Craig Goldstein)
2019-07-31 12:00:00 (link to chat)Ok so what should we think of Oneil Cruz? He was recently promoted to AA but am I wrong to still being skeptical because of his size? What are your thoughts on him?
(Neil from The Moon)		We're pretty high on him internally. He's probably not a shortstop but Jarrett Seidler just saw him this week and said he made some shortstop plays. I wouldn't be too skeptical. He's a player. (Craig Goldstein)
2019-05-03 13:00:00 (link to chat)Is Oneil Cruz's defence improving at SS?
(Derek from Chicago)		He's currently laid up on the injured list, but we have a prospect team member in Bradenton who will report on this when he's active again (Craig Goldstein)
2019-04-17 13:00:00 (link to chat)I'm convinced Oneil Cruz has fantasy superstar potential. What say you?
(Jordan from Dakota)		Potential is a tricky word. Does that outcome exist in the spectrum of possibilities? Sure. I think he's intriguing and is likely to be fun and useful but not a superstar. (Craig Goldstein)
2019-02-06 21:00:00 (link to chat)Is Oneil Cruz a top 10 fantasy prospect if he sticks at SS?
(Jatheesh from Waterloo)		He *could* be, but ... Cruz isnt going to stick at short. He might be very athletic for someone his size, but hes still someone his size. I think RF is the most likely destination, but wont rule out third (which is a compliment toward his glove work given his trimmer Aaron Judge-ass frame) - BC (Dynasty 101 Chat w/ Ben Carsley and Bret Sayre)
2018-07-16 19:00:00 (link to chat)Is there any prospect that hasn't been getting coverage that you think can should be?
(Boricuan from DR)		This is tough because I just had to burn all my guys for the midseason list coverage, heh. I will say that we've been covering Oneil Cruz more as an oddity than a top prospect and he's getting really close to being the latter if he's not already there. (Jarrett Seidler)
2018-06-22 13:00:00 (link to chat)How would you rank the following for dynasty fantasy purposes: Cavan Biggio, Esteury Ruiz, Oneil Cruz, Shed Long, Ke'Bryan Hayes. Thanks in advance.
(Enrique from The Ranch)		What a weird hodgepodge. Probably Shed/Hayes/Biggio/Cruz/Ruiz (Jeffrey Paternostro)
2017-05-22 23:00:00 (link to chat)Hey Wilson. Wasn't sure if you had chance to get eyes on or any updates on Oneil Cruz as I know he is in full season and super young?
(Jerry from Earth)		Emmett's had a few looks at him, and I wrote an update based off his notes in an MLU recently: "Described by prospect team member Emmett Rosenbaum as "one of the weirdest things I've seen" Cruz is a gangly 6-foot-6, 175-pound shortstop. After turning heads at the Dodgers' DSL affiliate last summer, he's been adjusting as you might expect for an 18-year-old navigating his stateside and full-season debut. While he's highly unlikely to stick at short as he fills out, the profile's still intriguing at third. More from Emmett: "The power is definitely real, he [shows] some pretty impressive strength given how little his body is filled out." (Wilson Karaman)
2017-04-28 13:30:00 (link to chat)I am a sucker for extreme lottery tickets so drafted Daniel Montano & Oneil Cruz this preseason. Do you have any opinions on them Craig?
(David from Atlantis)		I don't have much on Montano you don't already know. Cruz is fascinating playing third base at his size, and I guess what I'd say is that if you bought in before, don't abandon ship because of Low-A stats, as he's raw, 18 years old, and likely to struggle at that level. We should be able to provide updates on him as we have a few people covering the midwest league. (Craig Goldstein)


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PITCHf/x Hitter Profile

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