| Oneil Cruz | |
|---|---|
 Cruz with the Indianapolis Indians in 2021 | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates – No. 15 | |
| Shortstop | |
| Born:October 4, 1998 Nizao, Dominican Republic | |
Bats: Left Throws: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| October 2, 2021, for the Pittsburgh Pirates | |
| MLB statistics (through April 11,2024) | |
| Batting average | .243 |
| Home runs | 21 |
| Runs batted in | 65 |
| Teams | |
| |
Oneil Cruz (born October 4,1998) is a Dominican professional baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2021.
Cruz signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in July 2015 as an international free agent for a $950,000 signing bonus. [1] Cruz made his professional debut in 2016 with DSL Dodgers 1,batting .294 with 23 runs batted in (RBIs) in 55 games. He began the 2017 season with the Great Lakes Loons.
On July 31,2017,the Dodgers traded Cruz and Angel German to the Pirates in exchange for Tony Watson. [2] He was then assigned to the West Virginia Power. In 105 games between the two clubs,he slashed .237/.297/.350 with 10 home runs and 44 RBIs.
In 2018,he played for the West Virginia Power,batting .286 with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs in 103 games,earning South Atlantic League All-Star honors. [3]
Cruz began 2019 at Class A-Advanced level with the Bradenton Marauders,before suffering a right foot fracture on April 27. [4] After missing two months due to the fractured foot, [5] Cruz was assigned to the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Pirates on June 24. [6] On July 28,Cruz was promoted to the Double-A Altoona Curve. [7] [8] He hit .298 in 73 games for the 2019 season across the three teams.
Cruz was added to the Pirates 40-man roster following the 2019 season. [9] He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the Minor League Baseball season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. [10] Cruz split the 2021 minor league season between Altoona and the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians,hitting a combined .310/.375/.594 with 17 home runs,47 RBIs,and 19 stolen bases. [11]
On October 2,2021,Cruz was promoted to the active roster for the first time to make his MLB debut. [12] [13] He appeared in two Major League games in the 2021 season and hit his first career home run on October 3 in Pittsburgh. [14]
On March 29,2022,it was announced that Cruz would not make the team out of spring training,and was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis to begin the year. [15] Over five spring training games,he batted .333 with two home runs. [16] He was recalled to make his season debut on June 20 against the Chicago Cubs,where he collected two hits,two runs,and four RBIs. [17]
On August 24,2022,Cruz hit the hardest-hit ball in the Statcast era against Atlanta Braves pitcher Kyle Wright. The ball was recorded at 122.4 miles per hour (197.0 km/h). [18]
On April 10,2023,Cruz fractured his left fibula while sliding home plate,which was blocked by White Sox catcher Seby Zavala while attempting to score from third base on a ground ball. He was expected to miss four months, [19] but after multiple setbacks,he was ruled out for the entire season. [20]
Cruz is the son of retired minor leaguer Rafael Cruz. The elder Cruz named his son after his favorite player,former New York Yankees outfielder Paul O'Neill. [21]
On September 22,2020,Cruz was involved in a deadly vehicle crash in the Dominican Republic in which three people were killed. The accident occurred when his Jeep collided with a motorcycle carrying the three deceased that was traveling with no lights in the same direction that Cruz was traveling. Cruz survived the fatal accident without serious injury. [22]
Cruz is unusually tall for a shortstop. He is listed as 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m) and 215 pounds (98 kg). The only taller major league shortstop was 6-foot-7-inch (2.01 m) Joel Guzmán,who played nine innings for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2007. There have been four 6-foot-5-inch (1.96 m) major leaguers who started some games at shortstop —Archi Cianfrocco,Elly De La Cruz,Troy Glaus,and Michael Morse. [8]
Luis Alfonso Cruz is a Mexican professional baseball shortstop and third baseman for the Dorados de Chihuahua of the Mexican League. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the Pittsburgh Pirates,Milwaukee Brewers,Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Chiba Lotte Marines,Yomiuri Giants and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
Below are the rosters of the minor league affiliates of the Pittsburgh Pirates:
Mpho' Gift Ngoepe is a South African former professional baseball shortstop and second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Toronto Blue Jays. In 2017,he became the first native of continental Africa to reach the Major Leagues.
Alen Rery Hanson Michel is a Dominican professional baseball infielder for the Conspiradores de Querétaro of the Mexican League. A second baseman and outfielder,Hanson made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 17,2016,and has also played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox,San Francisco Giants,and Toronto Blue Jays. He has additionally played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
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Stephen Gavin Alemais is an American professional baseball shortstop for the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He played college baseball for three seasons with the Tulane Green Wave,and was drafted in the third round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Alemais played four seasons in the Pittsburgh minor league system and earned attention for his defensive skills. However,he was released in 2022 after undergoing multiple shoulder surgeries.
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