Oneil Cruz determined to transform weakest part of his game at Pirates spring training

Oneil Cruz has been destined to become a superstar since he first took center stage in Major League Baseball, but frequent slumps and frustrating bouts with inconsistency have kept the Pittsburgh Pirates' center fielder from entering that class of player.

Perhaps no issue highlights his troubles quite like his inability to hit southpaws. Last season, in 125 plate appearances, Cruz hit just .102 against left-handed pitchers, mustering just 11 hits compared to 44 strikeouts against hurlers of the same handedness.

That was the biggest reason for his overall down season, when he hit just .200/.298/.378 while posting a career-low wRC+ (86). He also continued to rack up strikeouts at an alarming rate (32.0%), which was just the sour cherry on top of an already foul-tasting sundae.

However, Cruz isn't letting those struggles define him anymore. He's gone to work this offseason to refine his plate approach, particularly against lefties. Now in spring camp, he's accelerating his development a step further, spending extra time hitting off Pirates southpaws in practice, such as new teammate Mason Montgomery.

Oneil Cruz's offseason work portends next leap for Pirates star

To understand why Cruz is putting so much effort into this, we really have to dig into the numbers. Against right-handed pitchers in 2025, he slashed .229/.320/.438 with 36 extra-base hits. He did strike out a lot (31.0% of the time), but he also worked quite a few walks (11.5% rate). Those aren't world-beating numbers, but they did all add up to an above-average 106 wRC+.

Those same numbers against left-handed pitchers? A .102/.224/.176 slash line with five extra-base hits, plus a 35.2% strikeout rate and 12.8% walk rate. Those totaled a ghastly 18 wRC+; in other words, Cruz was 82% worse than the average hitter against southpaws last year.

Obviously, that's an unacceptable performance, and one that effectively renders Cruz as a platoon option rather than an everyday regular. But that role isn't befitting of his incredible talent, so the Pirates have had no choice but to run him out there against his kryptonite far too frequently.

Now working against pitchers like Montgomery, Gregory Soto, and Evan Sisk in camp — all known for their ability to neutralize left-handed batters — the 27-year-old slugger should flash a much stronger plate approach against southpaws when the regular season arrives.

In conjunction with his extensive work in center field with Platinum Glove winner Kevin Kiermaier, Cruz is actively working to patch the two biggest holes in his game. There's no guarantee that such fastidious effort will lead to a career year, but it certainly can't hurt. Now may be the last time buy low on his stock before his long-awaited ascension to stardom takes place.