Oneil Cruz is finally turning the raw tools into real production, and the numbers are starting to look like the kind that can carry a full Silver Slugger run in 2027.
The only thing keeping him out of that 2026 conversation is time. Cruz missed 58 games with a pair of nondisplaced metacarpal fractures, and the Pirates felt it. Pittsburgh went 26-32 while he was sidelined, which only sharpened the case for how much his bat matters to what they do.
Even with the injury setback, Cruz has put together the sort of season that makes people stop talking about upside and start talking about results. He’s hitting .277 after finishing last year at .200, and he’s already launched 18 homers in 85 games.
On a 150-game pace, that works out to 31 home runs. He’s also walking 11.2% of the time, and despite a strikeout rate still north of 30%, his 130 wRC+ says he’s been 30% better than league average at the plate.
That’s the profile of a player who should be in the Silver Slugger mix if he can stay on the field in 2027.
A big part of the breakthrough has come against fastballs, where Cruz went from a liability to a weapon. Last season, he posted a -2 run value and hit just .194 against four-seamers.
This year, those numbers have flipped to a run value of 3 and a .313 average. The bat speed has always been there - 78.8 miles per hour last year, 78.1 this year - but the difference is in how he’s using it.
He’s no longer as passive when he gets a fastball in a damage zone, and the walk rate has stayed intact.
He’s also done better against the soft stuff that used to give him trouble. Sliders, curveballs, changeups and sweepers all produced negative run values for him last season. This year, every one of those pitch types has turned positive, with run values ranging from one to five.
The ball is coming off his bat at better angles, too. His launch angle sweet spot percentage jumped from the 16th percentile to the 58th percentile in 2026. That’s still not finished business, but it’s a major step and it’s helped him create more damage contact.
So has a better approach to pulling the ball in the air. Cruz’s pulled fly ball rate climbed from 13.2% in 2025 to 17.7% this season, above the league average of 16.9%. That shows up in the home run pace: he needed 135 games to reach 20 homers last year, and he got to 18 in just 84 games this season.
One of the biggest changes has come against left-handed pitching. Cruz entered the season with a .560 OPS against same-handed pitchers, but that number has jumped to .849 this year. If that holds in 2027, it gives him another layer as the kind of hitter who can anchor an offense.
For Pittsburgh, the lesson is obvious. When Cruz is in the lineup, the offense looks different. If he stays healthy and keeps this level of production going next season, the hardware should follow - and so might an October run for the Pirates.
In Other News...
Pirates Lose A Productive Young Bat At The Worst Time
Esmerlyn Valdez had been one of the more productive young bats in the Pirates system, so his move to the 10-day injured list lands at an awkward time for a club trying to keep options open in the outfield. The Pirates made the roster move after Valdez strained his left hamstring while running to first base, and while the injury sent him to the shelf, there is still no clear sense yet of how long he might be out.
Ronny Simon was summoned from Triple-A Indianapolis to fill the open spot on the active roster, giving Pittsburgh another utility option while it waits for more information on Valdez. For now, the concern is less about the replacement and more about what the Pirates lost, since any extended absence from a young hitter with momentum can change the look of the roster quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Need Jake Mangum Again After Another Costly Outfield Loss
The Pirates were already juggling their outfield depth, and now they have another opening to cover after placing rookie Esmerlyn Valdez on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain. Pittsburgh recalled Ronny Simon from Triple-A Indianapolis to fill the roster spot, but the more immediate effect is on the alignment behind him, where Valdez had been providing a real offensive boost even while working through some growing pains.
Manager Don Kelly said Jake Mangum is expected to see more time in the outfield, a familiar sort of assignment for a player who has already stepped in for injured teammates this season. For a club trying to keep its lineup steady through another setback, Mangums ability to plug holes again could end up mattering as much as any single bat in the short term. [Read more 🡒]
Pirates Top Prospects Just Moved One Step From A Title
The Pirates High-A affiliate is still playing meaningful baseball, and several of the organizations top prospects have helped keep Greensboro in the hunt. The Grasshoppers advanced to the South Atlantic League Championship Series after taking their Division Series over Frederick, with Edward Florentino, Tony Blanco Jr., Wyatt Sanford, Reinold Navarro and Levi Sterling all contributing during the playoff run.
Greensboro now gets a chance to go one step farther, with Winston-Salem waiting in the Championship Series set to begin Sept. 13. For a Pirates farm system that has been trying to stockpile both talent and winning habits, this is the kind of stage that gives young players a little extra pressure and a little more visibility, especially with so many familiar names still in the mix. [Read more 🡒]