Pirates' Oneil Cruz Tops NL in One Stat
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz didn't have the season many expected out of him, but he did excel in on key area in 2025.
Cruz stole 38 bases on 43 attempts for the Pirates this season, which ranked tied for fourth in the MLB, behind New York Yankees right fielder José Caballero in first place with 49 stolen bases and both Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramirez and Tampa Bay Rays center fielder Chandler Simpson, who tied for second place with 44 stolen bases.
His 38 stolen bases tied him for the most in the National League, along with New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto.
Cruz doesn't rank anywhere near the most stolen bases in a single season in Pirates history, with center fielder Omar Moreno stealing 96 bases in 1980, tied for 26th all-time.
He still is one of the more recent bag stealers for the Pirates, with only outfielder Starling Marte posting more in the 21st century, with 47 stolen bases in 2016 and 41 stolen bases in 2013.
Cruz, standing at 6-foot-7 and 240 pounds, generates great speed immediately when he starts off and only gets faster when he gets moving, making him not just a great base-stealer, but also someone really fast around the bases.
He set the fastest time from third base to home in 2025 at 2.99 seconds against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on May 30.
Cruz also set the Pirates franchise record for consecutive stolen bases with 33 in May of this season. It was the longest streak since the stolen base stat came into existence in 1951.
He hit 20 home runs in 2025, leading the Pirates, and putting him in the 20-30 club, marking at least 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a season.
Cruz is one of four Pirates player to join the club, along with Barry Bonds, who did it four times (1987, 1990-92), Andy Van Slyke, who did it twice in 1987 and 1988, and Marte, who also did it in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019.
He struggled massively from the plate this season, slashing. 200/.298/.378 for an OPS of .676, with 94 hits in 478 at-bats, 18 doubles, three triples and 64 walks to 178 strikeouts.
Cruz had the lowest batting average of any qualified batter, and his on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS all ranked in the bottom 25 in the MLB.
The Pirates will need Cruz to get on base more, which will give him a chance to steal even more bases in 2026, along with having a more productive season overall.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.