Cruz hits ground running at new center-field spot

This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf’s Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PITTSBURGH -- Oneil Cruz made the play look routine, but a deeper dive showed that it was anything but. Keibert Ruiz hit a slicing liner to left-center in the sixth inning Thursday night, and Cruz had 5.1 seconds of opportunity to cover the 96 feet needed to make the play. Going by Statcast’s calculations, it had a catch probability of 60%, making it a three-star play. It’s a test for any outfielder, let alone a greenhorn.

Cruz covered the ground (with three feet to spare, in fact, since he traveled 99 feet) and caught it in stride. As the cameras cut to Cruz, they captured something that outfield coach Tarrik Brock wants to see: A smile. The heart of his message to Cruz learning a new position was to just have fun. It certainly looked like Cruz was having fun snagging that liner, good news considering the original uncertainty of how he would take moving from shortstop to center field.

“He’s handled it well,” Brock said. “He’s smiling, he’s engaging, he’s having fun. He’s always open.”

Cruz has also given a couple previews of why he could be a stud at his new position. In his first game in center field on Aug. 28, he uncorked a 103.3 mph laser that one-hopped the plate, the strongest throw by a Pirates position player all season. Not bad for someone who took his first outfield practice of the season the day prior.

Normally whenever a converted infielder is thrown into the outfield that quickly, it’s out of necessity. Originally the Pirates thought Cruz would need more practice before he felt comfortable going into games, but he quickly took to it and they decided to push him.

“When you have someone of his caliber, his skillset and his ability, just go out there and play,” Brock said. “It allowed me to coach him through intense moments. Like, we’re on the road and we’re up, 5-1, you’re only diving on balls that will land and stay at your feet. That’s it, make sure you check with me. Make sure the double play stays in order. When you throw to get the lead runner, make sure the throw is low. … We just attack a little day by day.”

It’s not just Brock doing the coaching, though. Michael A. Taylor has also been out there. There are obvious perks to having a Gold Glover on the roster for mentorship, but Taylor also made the switch from a shortstop to a center fielder when he was a Minor Leaguer. So when Cruz started taking practice reps out there, Taylor joined him, unprompted from the coaching staff.

“I think if it would have gone a day or two, we may have said, 'Hey, can you talk to him?'” manager Derek Shelton said. “But, the first day Oneil came out, Michael was standing right next to him, talking to him. And [he] has continued to have conversations with him, I think not only during his work, but during the game of how to react, where to go, what to do. I think it just speaks to how much of a pro Michael is."

Taylor downplayed how much he’s chipped in, but Shelton shared an exchange he had with Cruz when he asked what the biggest difference is for his defensive work now. Cruz answered: “Michael Taylor.”

“I want to see him do great,” Taylor said. “It’s important to me to do whatever I can to help him. He’s a great player, a great guy, a great teammate. I’ve gone through this transition, so I know what it’s like. Just want to help him.”

Brock loves that Taylor’s involved, believing there are some things that can be picked up easier from a fellow player than a coach. For example, it took Taylor time to learn how to play the wall. Cruz can learn a lot from him on the matter.

And perhaps it clicks, and somewhere down the line Cruz is able to pass on what he’s learned to another player making a similar position switch. Time will tell.

“[I] just let him know, ‘Hey man, I just want you to have fun,’” Brock said. “Go out and get to every ball you can, make sure you communicate … and learn to trust the guys who are to your left and to your right.”