Oneil Cruz’s latest slump has Pirates facing painful reality check

It's no secret that the Pittsburgh Pirates' offense has been a problem all season (well, longer than that, but we'll focus on this season for now).

The Pirates' lack of offensive production is not all that surprising; after all, Ben Cherington hasn't exactly assembled a juggernaut of a lineup. But when the player with the highest offensive ceiling on the team – and arguably, one of the highest offensive ceilings in all of baseball – is barely hitting .200, it needs to be called out.

Buckle up, Pirates fans. It's time to have an honest conversation about Oneil Cruz.

Oneil Cruz’s latest slump has Pirates facing painful reality check

Cruz began the season strong, batting .267/.370/.567 with eight home runs, 16 RBI and 12 stolen bases in his first 25 games. But in April, his performance declined sharply.

In 82 games from late April through early August, Cruz hit just .189/.282/.349 with 10 home ryuns, 35 RBI and 116 strikeouts. His strikeout rate increased from 25.2% in his first 24 games to 33.8% over the subsequent 83 games, indicating a growing issue with contact.

That's not necessarily anything new. Cruz has long been prone to chasing pitches outside the strike zone, particularly in two-strike counts, leading to unproductive outs and missed opportunities. But for too long, his average exit velocity, barrel percentage, hard-hit percentage and bat speed – all of which rank in the 98th percentile or above on Baseball Savant – have dominated the narrative around him as an offensive weapon.

Yes, when Cruz makes contact, he makes great contact. But those metrics can only carry him so far for so long, and they only matter when he's actually putting the ball in play. Conversely, Cruz's whiff percentage (34.8%) and strikeout percentage (32.1%) place him in the second and first percentiles, respectively, among all MLB hitters. That's not just bad; it's abhorrent.

Cruz is swinging and missing at all kinds of pitches and striking out far too often. It's been nearly a 100-day stretch of flat-out bad baseball from the player who should be arguably carrying Pittsburgh's offense. Outside of Cruz, the Pirates don't have a lot of power in their lineup. When he's this bad for this long, it's a problem.

Cruz's combination of power, speed, and defensive versatility keeps him valuable. However, his ongoing strikeout issues, not to mention his mental lapses and defensive challenges, need to be addressed for him to reach his full potential. If they aren't addressed – or worse, if they aren't fixable – Cruz's role as a future franchise cornerstone in Pittsburgh should be in serious doubt.