Pirates' Oneil Cruz Praised for Offseason Defensive Work
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PITTSBURGH — Oneil Cruz had his struggles in center field this past season for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but has found help this winter.
Cruz enlisted the help of Kevin Kiermaier, who starred defensively in center field, a four-time Gold Glove Award winner in 2015-16, 2019 and 2022, plus a Platinum Gold Glove in 2015.
Kiermaier worked out with Cruz this past week down in Florida and he himself has wanted to earn a job helping outfielders with their defensive work.
Cruz heads into 2026, which marks his second full season at center field, and Kiermaier is helping work into that transition.
Kiermaier Praises Cruz for Defensive Training
Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette spoke with Kiermaier about his work with Cruz and that he originally reached out to Daniel Vogelbach, who was a Pirates assistant hitting coach last season, about working with the center fielder
Kiermaier told Beazley that Cruz drove 45 minutes to Tampa, Fla. to meet with him and work and that he's loved Cruz's attitude and that he's done what's asked of him.
“I’m teaching him outfield A-Z, everything I can in a relatively small sample size,” Kiermaier said to Beazley. “He's listened to everything I've said, and he's done a great job. It's just about, with him, just trying to keep convincing him more mentally than anything else, like, hey, this is the speed we have to do this at. … If we want to get the most out of these drills and the things I’m doing, we have to do it with certain intent.”
Kiermaier told Beazley that much of the work he's done with Cruz is based on shifting his mindset and view from a shortstop to to a center fielder.
“Watching him for years, I knew exactly what I was signing up for in a way,” Kiermaier said. “[I tell him], if you want to be this type of defender out here and you want to play center field and be good at it, you have to do these things in order to have success, I promise.
“And you're so athletic and gifted already, but if we can blend some good technique and focus and determination and have that intent to be better out here and [have] him hold himself accountable to always be ready for every pitch and be into everything, then everything's going to work out.”
Kiermaier said that Cruz has to put it all together himself, but that he's confident he can put it all together this season. He also told Beazley that he hopes this gives him a shot at coaching the other Pirates outfielders during Spring Training.
Cruz's Difficult 2025 Season in Center Field
The 2025 season was a difficult one for Cruz defensively, after he made the transition from shortstop to center field towards the end of the 2024 campaign.
Cruz started 120 of 125 games in center field and finished with -14 defensive saved (DRS) and -11 defensive runs saved above average, both the second worst marks of any qualified center fielder in the major leagues, according to FanGraphs.
He fared better with Statcast, with zero runs prevented and zero outs above average (OAA), but he still made the most errors of any center fielder with 11.
Cruz had his worst moment of the season in center field against the Texas Rangers at PNC Park on June 20.
He let a single bounce off his glove and go behind him and instead of running back to get it, he stood still and let right fielder Adam Frazier go all the way back and get it. Cruz apologized to manager Don Kelly and he stayed in the rest of the game.
Cruz struggled at times with his positioning and knowing where to be on fly balls. His glove work was also poor sometimes, missing balls that went under him or just completely misjudging them.
That's why the work with Kiermaier is crucial for Cruz, as he learns to play the position better and make the plays needed in center field.
Why There's Hope For Cruz in Center Field
While there were some poor plays made in 2025, Cruz has the athleticism, speed and strength to be a great center fielder.
Cruz threw a ball 105.2 mph from center field, getting Seattle Mariners shortstop JP Crawford out at the plate on July 6 at T-Mobile Park. That throw was the fastest by any Pirates outfielder in the Statcast era (since 2015) and the second fastest throw of any major leaguer.
He also made an incredible throw from deep in center field to throw out Rockies center fielder Brenton Doyle at third base, as he stretched a hit into a triple on Aug. 1 at Coors Field.
His arm strength shows the value of having a player use their 6-foot-7, 240-pound frame and throw players out at home or even third base and second base, trying to extend a play.
He is also incredibly quick, able to make up ground and make difficult catches look much easier than they actually are.
Cruz just entered his first year of arbitration and is now at the point of his career where he's starting to push for realizing his potential and becoming the star the Pirates think he can be.
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.