Oneil Cruz has unthinkable chance to top Pirates legend if scorching 2026 start continues

What Oneil Cruz is doing right now for the Pittsburgh Pirates is not just a bounce-back from a frustrating 2025. It’s something far more rare — and if it keeps up, it could put him in direct conversation with one of the most iconic figures in Pittsburgh baseball history: Willie Stargell.

That’s not a comparison you make lightly. But the numbers are starting to force it.

Cruz’s eighth home run of April — a 415-foot missile off Jacob deGrom Thursday night in Texas — wasn’t just the Pirates’ lone highlight in a loss to the Rangers. It was another step into territory that, historically, has been reserved for franchise legends. Only Stargell (11 in 1971) and Jeff King (nine in 1996) have ever done more in a March/April stretch.

Cruz is already there. Again. And this time, it feels different.

Oneil Cruz is finally producing like the star Pittsburgh hoped he would be

Last year’s version of Cruz was chaotic brilliance — 21 home runs, 38 stolen bases, but paired with a .200 average and glaring holes, especially against left-handed pitching. He was electric, but incomplete. A player you could dream on, but not yet trust.

This year's version looks more like controlled damage. The slash line — .284/.348/.569 — tells part of the story. The underlying shift tells the rest. Cruz isn’t just hitting; he’s adjusting. The most telling number might be what he’s doing against lefties: a .375 average and a 1.225 OPS after being nearly unplayable in those matchups a year ago.

When Cruz is this version of himself — still producing elite exit velocities, still stealing bases at will, but now eliminating the most obvious weakness in his profile — he stops being a tantalizing talent and starts becoming a foundational star. The kind the Pirates haven’t had many of since the Stargell era.

That’s where this gets interesting. Stargell’s 1971 season isn’t just a statistical benchmark — it’s a piece of franchise mythology. It represents dominance, presence, inevitability.

Cruz isn’t there yet. It’s April. Pitchers will adjust, and slumps will come. But for the first time, it’s fair to ask a question that once felt premature:

What if he doesn’t come back down to earth?

What if this is the version that sticks? If it is, Cruz won’t just be having a great season. He’ll be chasing something far more meaningful — not just numbers, but legacy. And suddenly, topping a Pirates legend doesn’t feel unthinkable anymore.

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