2025 Stats
AVG
.261
HR
2
RBI
4
R
4
SB
6
Rest-of-Season Projections
2025 Fantasy Outlook
Cruz missed nearly all of 2023 due to a fractured ankle but avoided the injured list last season and played in 146 games. He provided plenty of fantasy production with 21 homers, 22 steals, 76 RBI, 72 runs and a .259/.324/.449 slash line, but his 30.4 percent strikeout rate illustrates the ongoing concern with the swing-and-miss in his stroke. A 20-20 campaign is nothing to sneeze at, though the homer total is still a bit underwhelming given he hit 17 long balls in just 87 games as a rookie in 2022. Cruz also committed 24 errors with minus-nine DRS in 112 contests at shortstop, which led to the Pirates moving him to center field for the final month of the season. It was his first time playing center field as a professional, and he posted minus-three DRS in 195 innings. Having a full offseason to get more comfortable with the position should help immensely, and Pittsburgh is reportedly committed to keeping him in the outfield. Fantasy managers will benefit from the dual-position eligibility for at least 2025, and another 20-20 campaign -- with room for growth -- should be the expectation for Cruz. Read Past Outlooks

Flashes power, speed in win
Cruz went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a stolen base in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Rays.
ANALYSIS
His fifth-inning solo shot off Ryan Pepiot was Cruz's second long ball of the season, while his first-inning steal was already his sixth in seven games. The 26-year-old stole a career-high 22 bags in 2024, but Cruz seems intent on erasing that mark by the All-Star break. He's batting .261 (6-for-23) with four runs, four RBI and a 6:7 BB:K to begin the campaign.
His fifth-inning solo shot off Ryan Pepiot was Cruz's second long ball of the season, while his first-inning steal was already his sixth in seven games. The 26-year-old stole a career-high 22 bags in 2024, but Cruz seems intent on erasing that mark by the All-Star break. He's batting .261 (6-for-23) with four runs, four RBI and a 6:7 BB:K to begin the campaign.
Batting Stats
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2025
2024
2023
2022
2021
Minor League Game Log

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Batting Order Slot Breakdown
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Left/Right Batting Splits
Since 2023
+13%
OPS vs RHP
2025
+194%
OPS vs RHP
OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2023vs Left | .707 | 164 | 6 | 22 | .233 | ||||
Since 2023vs Right | .802 | 505 | 18 | 62 | .267 | ||||
2025vs Left | .333 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .000 | ||||
2025vs Right | .979 | 27 | 2 | 4 | .286 | ||||
2024vs Left | .686 | 154 | 6 | 21 | .224 | ||||
2024vs Right | .804 | 445 | 15 | 55 | .271 | ||||
2023vs Left | 1.314 | 7 | 0 | 1 | .600 | ||||
2023vs Right | .636 | 33 | 1 | 3 | .185 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Home/Away Batting Splits
Since 2023
+28%
OPS at Home
2025
-100%
OPS on Road
OPS | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Since 2023Home | .878 | 321 | 12 | 49 | .296 | ||||
Since 2023Away | .687 | 348 | 12 | 35 | .224 | ||||
2025Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
2025Away | .922 | 30 | 2 | 4 | .261 | ||||
2024Home | .883 | 308 | 12 | 48 | .298 | ||||
2024Away | .658 | 291 | 9 | 28 | .218 | ||||
2023Home | .684 | 13 | 0 | 1 | .222 | ||||
2023Away | .768 | 27 | 1 | 3 | .261 | ||||
More Splits→ | View More Split Stats |
Stat Review
How does Oneil Cruz compare to other hitters?
This section compares his stats with all batting seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 400 plate appearances)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity and Barrels/PA % are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 400 PA) and Hard Hit Rate is benchmarked against last season's data (min 400 PA). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
BB/K
0.86BB Rate
20.0%K Rate
23.3%BABIP
.267ISO
.261AVG
.261OBP
.400SLG
.522OPS
.922wOBA
.387Exit Velocity
93.0 mphHard Hit Rate
29.4%Barrels/PA
10.0%Expected BA
.277Expected SLG
.582Sprint Speed
23.4 ft/secGround Ball %
29.4%Line Drive %
11.8%Fly Ball %
58.8%Prospect Rankings History
Advanced Batting Stats
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Additional Stats
Games By Position
Defensive Stats
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Batted Ball Stats
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Stats Vs Upcoming Pitchers
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
Cruz's season lasted all of nine games before he fractured his ankle on a contact play April 9 against the Chicago White Sox. He attempted to come back before the end of the season, but the soreness in his ankle never quite went away and the team decided to shut him down and get him healthy for 2024. It is best if we just wash 2023 away and look back at 2022 where we saw him strike out at a high volume, yet his O-Swing percentage as well as his overall contact percentage improved as the season went on. Cruz should have the double blessing of hitting in the middle of the Pittsburgh lineup as well as the permission to play every day that his ankle permits him on the field. We may not see the same speed we saw from him right away, but the power should be there as he is reacclimated himself to the grind of daily games at the big league level. This is more of a rust/reward issue than a risk/reward one.
More Fantasy News

Taking seat Sunday
Cruz is out of the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Marlins.
ANALYSIS
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Steals two more bags in loss
Cruz went 0-for-2 with with four walks, a run scored and two steals in Saturday's 5-4 extra-innings loss to the Marlins.
ANALYSIS
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Homers, steals base in win
Cruz went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, a walk, a stolen base and an additional run scored in a 4-3 win over the Marlins on Friday.
ANALYSIS
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Pops second spring homer
Cruz has gone 3-for-12 with two home runs and three stolen bases across 12 at-bats in Grapefruit League action.
ANALYSIS
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Coming back from illness
Pirates manager Derek Shelton said Wednesday that Cruz is being brought along slowly in spring training because he came to camp with an illness, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors

Locked in at center field
According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com, the Pirates are committed to playing Cruz in center field in 2025 after moving him off shortstop.
ANALYSIS
The 26-year-old was moved to the outfield late in 2024 after he committed 24 errors with a minus-nine DRS in 112 games at shortstop, and Pittsburgh is now focused on fully transitioning him to center field. Cruz played in a career-high 146 games this year and had a .259/.324/.449 slash line with 21 homers and 22 stolen bases.
The 26-year-old was moved to the outfield late in 2024 after he committed 24 errors with a minus-nine DRS in 112 games at shortstop, and Pittsburgh is now focused on fully transitioning him to center field. Cruz played in a career-high 146 games this year and had a .259/.324/.449 slash line with 21 homers and 22 stolen bases.