Oneil Cruz is quietly showing what a full-season Silver Slugger campaign could look like in 2027

Oneil Cruz will not be winning the Louisville Silver Slugger Award in 2026. The reason (finally) isn't a lack of production, but rather a lack of time on the field. While the 28-year-old was out for 58 games with a pair of nondisplaced metacarpal fractures, the Pittsburgh Pirates went 26-32, showcasing the impact his bat has made this year.

If not for the time missed due to injury, Cruz would be in the thick of the conversation. Finally. Long the owner of tantalizing tools and frustrating production, the six-foot-seven outfielder has started to put it all together.

This year he's batting .277, an enormous increase from last season when he hovered around the Mendoza Line and finished with an even .200 average. He's crushed 18 homers in 85 games, which, at a 150-game pace, would come out to 31 dingers. He's walking 11.2% of the time, and although his strikeout rate still checks in at over 30%, his 130 wRC+ tells us that he's been 30% more productive than a league-average hitter.

Those are all numbers that make him worthy of the recognition the Silver Slugger carries, and if he stays healthy in 2027, he'll be on his way to capturing the trophy for the first time in his career. While much of what he does looks the same, there are a few key changes that show us how we got here and that he must maintain next season.

Just as Pirates fans were ready to give up, Oneil Cruz became a Silver Slugger-caliber bat via these key changes

Over the offseason, we discussed a few key issues with Cruz's 2025 performance that needed to be rectified. Chief among them was his performance against fastballs.

Cruz clearly has more than enough bat speed to catch up to even the hardest heaters. Last year, that bat speed came in at 78.8 miles per hour, a 100th percentile mark. This year, it's virtually the same at 78.1%. However, a year ago, Cruz put up a -2 run value and a .194 average against four-seamers. This season, those numbers are up, with him producing a run value of 3 and a batting average of .313 against this type of offering.

What changed wasn't the speed of Cruz's bat, but several smaller things. He isn't quite as passive if he gets a fastball in the juicy part of the plate anymore, yet that hasn't impacted his ability to draw walks. Being more aggressive on pitches that can be hit for damage while still having patience at the plate is a winning combo.

Similarly, Cruz has improved against the soft stuff that has always plagued him. Last season, he posted negative run values against sliders, curveballs, changeups, and sweepers. This year, those are all positives, ranging between run values of one to five depending on the pitch.

Another big improvement from Cruz is the angle at which he hits the ball. His launch angle sweet spot percentage went from a 16th percentile performance to a 58th percentile performance in 2026. There's still work to be done here, but that's a massive jump and means many more balls are being hit at angles that typically lead to damage being done.

Going hand in hand with that is the percentage of balls he pulls in the air. As hard as Cruz hits the ball, the direction in which he travels matters. In 2025, he posted a below-average 13.2% pulled fly ball rate. In 2026, that's up to 17.7%. League average is 16.9%, so he's finally cleared that hurdle, and it shows in the fact that it took him 135 games to hit 20 homers last year, and just 84 contests to get to 18 dingers this season.

Finally, one of the most massive but potentially volatile improvements he's made has been his performance against left-handed pitching. Entering the season, Cruz had a .560 OPS against same-handed pitchers. This year, that has risen drastically to a .849 mark. If he can keep that up in 2027, he'll continue to be the same offensive force that he's been this year.

The Pirates' record with and without Cruz in the lineup has made it abundantly clear how important his bat is to their fortunes. If he continues at this pace and stays healthy next season, not only will he likely be taking home some hardware, but Pittsburgh will also be playing in October.

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