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One of the best things about baseball is that each season presents a new opportunity for unexpected superstars to emerge. We're not talking about the obvious household names or MVP candidates, but rather about dark horses who break out and surprise the rest of the league in a given season.
David Adler of MLB.com took this concept and ran with it last week, projecting one dark horse candidate to be the best player in each division in 2025, and tabbed Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz as his candidate for the National League Central.
"Cruz hits the ball as hard as anybody in the world (his 95.5 mph average exit velocity, 121.5 mph max exit velocity, 54.9% hard-hit rate and 15.7% barrel rate in 2024 all ranked in the 97th percentile of MLB or better)," Adler wrote. "He's one of the faster players in the Majors (his 28.8 ft/sec sprint speed ranked in the 88th percentile). And his move to center field late last season helped him defensively: He went from -3 Outs Above Average at shortstop to +2 Outs Above Average in center. He feels like he's on the verge of putting it all together and becoming a star."
The 2024 season was Cruz's best yet – he mashed 21 home runs and stole 22 bases in 146 games played – and he's just entering his age-26 season in 2025. He really does have all the makings of a bonafide superstar. Could 2025 be the year he finally puts it all together?
Pirates fans are going to love MLB.com's Oneil Cruz prediction for 2025 season
Cruz putting up some of the best offensive numbers of his career last season is particularly impressive when you consider the midseason position change that was thrust upon him without warning. In 2025, he will have had a full offseason to prepare to play center field, which should give him a boost defensively.
It feels hard to believe, but 2024 was also Cruz's first full MLB season. Now that he has experienced the rigors of a 162-game schedule, his ceiling for 2025 is arguably higher than it's ever been.
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