Who's having most impressive spring for Bucs?

BRADENTON, Fla. -- It’s a simple question: Who around here has impressed you the most this Spring Training?

Halfway through Major League camp, players have seen enough of their teammates to form opinions. They’ve evaluated the prospects they hadn’t seen before, and they’ve watched familiar faces demonstrate their offseason improvements or their return to full health.

So it’s a question perfectly suited for this time of spring, and it delivered a wide variety of answers in the Pirates’ clubhouse at LECOM Park on Wednesday morning. Players were particularly drawn to two of their teammates: shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz and hard-throwing reliever Nick Burdi.

Here are the most common answers we received to that question.

Oneil Cruz, SS
Cruz received the most votes in this informal survey, and that should come as no surprise. He’s a fascinating prospect (ranked No. 3 in the Pirates' system), and this is his first Major League Spring Training after finishing at Double-A Altoona last season. As Josh Bell said: “He’s got so many tools and so much projection, it’s going to be awesome watching him in the next couple of years.”

The 6-foot-7 shortstop, who possesses a lanky frame and athleticism that led one teammate to call him “Avatar,” has incredible raw power that he uses to put on a show during batting practice and, occasionally, during games. He’s also impressed teammates who were skeptical of his ability to play shortstop at his height. Cruz seems destined to move to a corner position eventually, but for now, he’s shown the speed and mobility -- and especially the arm -- to be at least average at shortstop this year. Cruz reported to camp with the lofty goal of reaching the Majors this year, but odds are he’ll return to Double-A Altoona to start the year before advancing to Triple-A Indianapolis over the summer.

Quotes: “His 21-year-old body looks like it can handle the rigors of being in the infield from a mobility standpoint. As that body ages, I have no clue. But what we’re seeing right now, he definitely looks like he can be an infielder -- I don’t know where, but he can be an infielder, for sure. Obviously, he stands out.” -- Chris Archer

“His BP is stupid. It’s like he’s not even swinging and it’s coming off hot. It’s just too easy. I saw his home run in here. But just his BP, it’s like he’s not trying, then they’re coming off hotter than anybody.” -- Bryan Reynolds

Nick Burdi, RHP
Teammates were crestfallen when they saw Burdi crumple to the mound last April, devastated by pain caused by what turned out to be a serious nerve injury. So they are legitimately thrilled to see him back on the mound, not only in great shape, but touching 100 mph in two of his three outings thus far. That kind of sustained velocity, Archer said, will put the young reliever on a “different tier.” It’s been a long road for Burdi, but he seems primed to fulfill his late-inning potential if he can stay healthy this year.

Quotes: “I feel like if you don’t name Nick Burdi, you’re just not paying attention. I followed his rehab all year and I was keeping up with his bullpens this offseason and stuff. I put an early tab on him to be Comeback Player of the Year. No pressure, but watching him play catch and throw sides and work in the weight room is really impressive.” -- Jameson Taillon

“There was a point when we saw him go down last year, you didn’t know if he was ever going to pitch again. That was the pain that he was in, that he said he felt. It was a gruesome injury. For him to take the season and offseason to get his body right, and do what he’s doing, it’s amazing.” -- Trevor Williams

Blake Cederlind, RHP
Closer Keone Kela summarized Cederlind’s appeal quite well: “100 mph with sink.” Cederlind, who turned a lot of heads early in camp, is a hard thrower and a confident young man who could help Pittsburgh’s bullpen as soon as this summer after soaring from Class A Advanced Bradenton to Triple-A Indianapolis last season. Cederlind hasn’t given up a hit in 3 2/3 innings this spring, while striking out seven and walking four in four appearances.

Quote: “It’s noisy. It’s loud. The ball jumps out of his hand. … You get the blonde hair flowing and you get the sinker going -- yeah, that was cool to see.” -- Manager Derek Shelton, memorably, after the Pirates’ first day of live batting practice

Clay Holmes, RHP
Holmes quite literally caught a bad break in his bid for a spot in the bullpen, as he’ll be sidelined for the rest of the spring due to a fractured left fibula -- an injury beyond his control. But he reported to camp more confident and prepared to harness his raw stuff, hoping to move past the inconsistency that plagued him to this point. That still might happen this year, but it won’t be on Opening Day.

Quote: “I thought he was really figuring some stuff out, and it just feels like he belongs a little more this year. He seems really confident with where he’s at. He’s taken his career by the reins. Mechanically and stuff, he’s super interesting to talk to and super sharp. It’s too bad, but I hope he uses this time to keep locking it in, because he was on the right track.” -- Taillon

Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B
He’s the No. 41-ranked prospect in baseball for a reason. Everybody knows about Hayes’ potential Gold Glove-caliber defense, and he’ll be in the Majors with a little more offensive development. So far, he’s shown that he’s ready to take a step forward by going 6-for-17 with a double and more walks (three) than strikeouts (two).

Cole Tucker, INF
Tucker might not fit on the Opening Day roster, barring another injury, but it’s not for a lack of energy or effort. The middle infielder crushed his first homer on Wednesday, showing the kind of power he searched for this offseason, and he’s played highlight-reel defense all spring. That might not be enough to get him past Kevin Newman or Adam Frazier on the depth chart quite yet. But teammates have taken notice, and you won’t find anyone rooting against the jovial Tucker.

Quote: “He’s been balling out. He’s going to be a Pirate for a long time. He might be on the outside looking in for a position spot, but he’s been extremely impressive as well.” -- Williams

Others mentioned
Williams pointed out how well Chad Kuhl and Edgar Santana, who missed last season following Tommy John surgery, have been pitching. Santana looks like he hasn’t missed a beat, as he’s worked three scoreless innings in three appearances. While expectations are high for Mitch Keller, Williams said the top prospect’s stuff has been impressive to watch this spring.

Catcher Jacob Stallings praised super-utility man JT Riddle, who has turned some heads with his hustle and defense, as well as versatile infielder Phillip Evans. Stallings also likes what he’s seen from Hayes. All three infielders, Stallings observed, possess “a really good feel for the game.”

Kela lauded several other teammates, including the now-healthy Gregory Polanco and non-roster lefty reliever Miguel Del Pozo. Polanco has put together quality at-bats in his return from a left shoulder injury that lingered throughout last season, going 4-for-13 with a double, homer and five walks to four strikeouts. Kela also pointed to non-roster catcher John Ryan Murphy, who hit the Pirates’ first two homers of the spring.

“Murph’s been in the game for a minute, but he came into camp ready to bang,” Kela said.