Oneil Cruz Becoming Star Pirates Always Wanted
In this story:
PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates desperately needed Oneil Cruz to have a strong 2026 season and he's doing that and then some.
Cruz kept his great campaign going with a solo home run in the 6-1 loss to the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on April 23, providing the sole source of offense for the Pirates.
It came off of a Cy Young Award winning pitcher in Rangers right-hander Jacob DeGrom, who left a curveball over the middle of the plate for Cruz to send 107.5 mph off the bat and 415 feet to center field for his eighth home run of the season.
Those eight home runs for Cruz makes him one of just three players who have hit that many in the modern era (since 1901). Hall of Famer Willie Stargell hit 11 home runs in 1971 and Jeff King hit nine home runs in 1996, while Cruz also hit eight home runs last season in 2205.
Cruz Puts Up Great Series vs. Rangers
Cruz only had three hits in 13 at-bats, normally not a great showing, but each of those hits were important for all three games.
He ledoff the series opener with a single and would eventually come around to score, which ended up a 5-1 defeat.
Cruz also should've had a home run in that game too, sending a ball 110.6 mph off the bat and 399 feet to center field, but Rangers Evan Carter made the catch and robbed him.
It would've been a three-run home run and given the Pirates a 4-2 lead in the top of the fifth inning, but instead, the road team never got it going from the plate and took the loss.
Cruz then delivered his home run in the second game, a three-run shot that hit off the top of the foul pole in the top of the ninth inning that gave the Pirates an 8-4 advantage they would hold onto for the victory.
He hit a cutter over the middle of the plate 116.9 mph off the bat and 422 feet, making sure he wouldn't have that home run robbed.
Oneil Cruz Having 2026 Season Pirates Wanted
Cruz had a difficult season in 2025, hitting .200, the worst mark of any qualified MLB hitter, but still had 21 home runs and 38 stolen bases, with the latter tied for the most in the National League.
The 27-year old is now hitting the way the Pirates anticipated him doing, slashing .284/.348/.569 for an OPS of .917 in 25 games, with 29 hits in 102 at-bats, five doubles, the eight home runs, 23 RBI and 10 stolen bases.
His eight home runs are tied for fifth-most in baseball, his slugging percentage tied for 11th-best and his OPS 20th-best.
Cruz's 10 stolen bases are tied for the most in the National League alongside Washington Nationals second baseman Nasim Nuñez and second to Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez, who leads MLB with 11 stolen bases.
His most impressive turnaround this season from last is hitting against left-handed pitching, as he's slashing .375/.412/.813 for an OPS of 1.225, with 12 hits in 32 at-bats, two doubles, four home runs and 10 RBI.
Cruz had just 11 hits in 108 at-bats for a .102 batting average against southpaws in 2025 and this turnaround is a result of work he put in during Spring Training.
His 23 RBI also put him amongst five other Pirates that have had at least 22 RBI in March/April since it became an official statistic in 1920.
This includes Stargell with 27 in 1971, Xavier Nady with 26 and Nate McClouth in 25 in 2008, King with 23 RBI in 1996 and Bryan Reynolds with 23 RBI in 2023.
It's still early, but Cruz hitting as well as he has isn't a bad thing for the Pirates and is something they'll hope he maintains throughout 2026.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
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.