One Reason Pirates' Oneil Cruz Should Improve in 2026
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PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz didn't have the season he wanted in 2025, but he is gearing up for a bounce back campaign.
Cruz was one of the main power bats in a Pirates team that hit just 117 home runs in 2025, the least in the major leagues, leading the team with 20 himself, but struggled towards the end of the campaign.
The Pirates front office went out and added some help in the lineup, with the likes of second baseman Brandon Lowe in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and free agent Ryan O'Hearn.
Cruz will have some internal work to do, but these additions will not only make the Pirates better, but also give the young outfielder a chance to excel in 2026.
Why These Additions Will Make Cruz Better
Harold Reynolds of MLB Network spoke about Cruz on the Hot Stove and how polarizing he is as a player right now.
Reynolds acknowledged that Cruz struggled, but that he would've been a much better player on the New York Yankees, who had a top lineup in baseball last season, with the likes of Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham, Jazz Chisholm and others.
"The bat is real, the power is real and the consistency...If we dropped him into the lineup right now in the Yankees, this guy hits 30-40 home runs," Reynolds said.
"Sounds like a broken record, but you're only as good as the parts around you and they gotta put people around you in order to get hits consistently."
Cruz now has more lineup protection, outside of right fielder Bryan Reynolds and first baseman Spencer Horwitz, than he had towards the end of 2025.
Lowe has hit at least 20 home runs in the seasons he's played 100 games in and hit 31 home runs last season, the most of any second baseman in baseball.
PNC Park will also benefit Lowe, as 28 of those 31 home runs he hit would've been home runs there too, as he usually pulls his power swings.
O'Hearn, like Lowe, is also a left-handed batter and has averaged an OPS of .800 the past three seasons. He also hits around 15 home runs per season, which should increase at PNC Park.
Cruz now has some help in the lineup, allowing him not only to get some better pitches to hit, but to hit more selectively than having to provide all the power himself.
Why There's Promise for Cruz in 2026
Despite a poor season overall, Cruz is primed for a strong showing in 2026 and getting on the right track to become the player the Pirates want him to be.
His 20 home runs still led the Pirates and his 38 stolen bases tied him for the NL lead, along with New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto.
Cruz became one of just one of four Pirates players to have a 20-30 season, with Barry Bonds, who did it four times (1987, 1990-92), Andy Van Slyke, who did it twice in 1987 and 1988, and Starling Marte, who also did it in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019.
He made history at the Home Run Derby at Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves, on July 14. He hit one of his home runs 513 feet, which tied for the longest home run in the competition, outside of Coors Field in Denver, Colo., which has a higher elevation and makes it easier to hit longer home runs.
Cruz also made it past the first round, the Pirates player to do so, and finished with 34 home runs total, the most for a Pirates player in the competition.
He hit the hardest home run of the Statcast era (since 2015), at 122.9 mph, which went over the right field wall at PNC Park on May 25, against Milwaukee Brewers right-handed starting pitcher Freddy Peralta.
Cruz also displayed his great arm in center field during his first season starting full-time, including an incredible throw home for an out vs. the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on July 6.
He threw that ball 105.2 mph to home plate, the second fastest throw in Statcast era from an outfielder and the fastest throw from a Pirates outfielder ever.
If Cruz can have more of his special moments, but stay more consistent, he should feature as one of the better center fielders in all of baseball.
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.