From PiratesFest, Cruz proclaims himself 'All good. 100% now'

PITTSBURGH -- Here’s how Oneil Cruz feels in his own words, as interpreted by Stephen Morales at this year's PiratesFest: “All good. 100% now. Everything’s like it’s supposed to be.”

After fracturing his left fibula in a collision at home plate when he awkwardly slid into White Sox catcher Seby Zavala, the final thing Cruz needed to do to prove his readiness to himself was slide into bases. But as part of his progression at the Pirates’ academy in the Dominican Republic, Cruz slid while getting game action.

Morales was there to witness it.

“That was my worry, too,” Morales said of Cruz sliding, “but he went right through it. It was like riding a bike.”

Here's some more news and notes from PiratesFest:

• Fourteen Pirates players made their MLB debuts in 2023, including Jared Triolo, who became one of the best breakout stories of the season as he juggled work at multiple infield positions. He still carries four gloves in his car to practice this offseason and is ready for anything.

When asked if anyone had a big impact on him as a rookie, Triolo gave a name that probably would have been my 10th or 15th guess: reliever Ryan Borucki.

“Kind of an out-of-the-ordinary one here was Borucki,” Triolo said. “I feel like me and him got along in the clubhouse, just seeing him in Triple-A. I don't think I was playing when he was playing, but just watching him, being around him, he looked after me a little bit there. And then when we came up here, he was a good guy."

• Second base figures to be one of the deepest competitions at Spring Training. I can count at least five guys who have a shot at the position next season, but maybe I should add a surprising sixth: Connor Joe.

OK, maybe it’s not as realistic, but Joe has been working to make himself as versatile as possible so he gets as many opportunities as possible, and that includes taking grounders at second. It would be an interesting look for a player who has split time between the outfield corners and increased his workload at first over the past three seasons.

“I've expressed that I'm willing to move there, and I've been working there in the offseason,” Joe said. “But I've been working everywhere in the offseason. I think it's good and beneficial to get different angles at different spots.”