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Turns out this giant who hits the ball really hard is good.
On Opening Day we spent some time on Oneil Cruz going through it after he misplayed two balls in the outfield. But now 15 games into the season his numbers stand at .339/.400/.644, 1.044 OPS, 5 HR, 6 SB. Saturday vs. Cubs: 4-for-5 with three steals, and three hits at 113+ mph exit velocity — first player in the Statcast era to hit three balls that hard in a single game
Doing prototype things: Cruz is 6'7", unusually tall for a player who came up as a shortstop, and he is built to be a problem. He has incredible speed on the field, and when he barrels the ball the result is an explosion. Last season he set the Statcast record with a 122.9 MPH exit velo home run (breaking his own record from 2022).
Hoist the cone: Cruz has spent his entire career on the Pirates, who have been, well, the Pirates. But in 2026 the Pirates are 9-6 and sitting in first place. They, of course, have Paul Skenes, but Mitch Keller also looks like he’s taken a step forward, top prospect fireball Bubba Chandler is here, and Jared Jones will hopefully return in the second half. It’s a dangerous starting rotation. Oneil Cruz playing like this alongside rookie Konnor Griffin and some savvy vets in Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn, and Marcell Ozuna makes for a lineup that can hoist the cone.
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A graphical representation of the AL East standings.
