2025 Fantasy Baseball: Oneil Cruz Profile, Preview, Predictions
Oneil Cruz comes off his best all-around season in his professional career. His floor in home runs and stolen bases are high, with an explosive ceiling if he can solve left-handed pitching.
SS – Oneil Cruz, PIT (ADP – 47.7)
In his first year with full-time at-bats in the majors, Cruz ranked 45th FPGscore (1.72) for hitters. He finished with a neutral batting average (.259) despite his high strikeout rate (30.2), thanks to his contact batting average (.389) edge. His bat still had risk against left-handed pitching (.224/18/6/21/5 over 143 at-bats ~ 47 strikeouts).
Over his final 176 at-bats in 2024, Cruz lowered his strikeout rate (24.6) with a favorable walk rate (11.3). He hit .284 over this span with 23 runs, 22 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases, but only four balls left the ball. His best production came in June and July (.253/27/10/34/5 over 166 at-bats).
He ranked third in exit velocity (95.5 mph) and seventh in hard-hit rate (54.9). Cruz finished with a groundball swing path (47.8%), with a respectful outcome in his HR/FB rate (17.1). His average hit rate (1.736) came below success in 2022 (1.889) between AAA and Pittsburgh.
Fantasy Outlook: The coin flip for Cruz in 2025 is whether his trade of power for contact over the final two months of last season will translate to lower strikeouts this year and an uptick in home runs. Pittsburgh plans to switch him to centerfield, giving him dual eligibility. He’s getting better, but Cruz must settle into a favorable slot in the batting order to help his counting stats.
Last year, the Pirates gave him 65.6% of his at-bats between third and fourth in their lineup. Buy his 30/30 potential in power and speed while understanding his batting average risk if his approach moves in the wrong direction. On the downside, his ADP already reflects a more productive season.
RANKINGS
Top 5 Catchers | Catchers 6-10 | Catchers 11-15
Top 5 First Basemen | First Basemen 6-10 | First Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Second Basemen | Second Basemen 6-10 | Second Basemen 11-15
Top 5 Shortstops | Shortstops 6-10 | Shortstops 11-15
Top 5 Third Basemen | Third Basemen 6-10 | Third Basemen 11-15
With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.