Pirates offensive problem has them between a rock and hard place with Oneil Cruz

When Pittsburgh Pirates manager Don Kelly benched Oneil Cruz earlier this week for failing to run out a double play ball that someone with his size and gait should have easily been able to beat, it raised some questions about accountability.

This wasn't the first time that Cruz's effort (or lack thereof) has been a point of focus this season, so why did it take so long for him to face consequences?

Noah Hiles answered this very question in a recent mailbag for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and his answer was just as nuanced and complex as the player in question.

"He was benched for a lack of effort but also runs the bases as well as anyone in the sport," Hiles wrote. "He clearly struggles with focus, and we still haven’t really seen improvement on that front. There are a ton of issues connected to Cruz, but his situation also represents a bigger problem within the organization. Can this team really live without him?"

It's a tough question. Cruz had an exceptionally strong start to the season before falling into a major slump this month. He carried a .230/.347/.481 slash line into June but has since gone on a .148/.247/.210 free fall. He is now hitting .205/.317/.398 on the season.

That said, players with the type of tools that Cruz has simply don’t come around often. As a result, for better or for worse, he is held to a different standard than the rest of his teammates.

"Keeping Cruz out of the lineup, in a way, hurts the rest of the club," Hiles wrote. "He gives the pitchers their best chance to receive run support and he provides lineup protection for other hitters in the order. It’s why Derek Shelton never benched him and why he’s had such a long leash still under Don Kelly."

Pirates offensive problem has them between a rock and hard place with Oneil Cruz

Cruz is maddeningly difficult to understand at times, but no one on the Pirates' roster has even close to the level of talent that Cruz does. And therein lies the real problem.

It's a bit more complex than, "Cruz hits the ball hard, so he is immune from discipline." The larger issue at play here has less to do with Cruz himself and more to do with the fact that the Pirates don't have a single bat in their lineup that can do what Cruz does (when he's focused enough to do it, that is).

Benching Cruz for a game (or two, or three) may send a message to the player, but it doesn't fix the greater problem of Pittsburgh's utter lack of offense. Sure, Cruz gives the Pirates their best chance at providing the pitching staff, but at what cost? Lately, he's been just as ineffective as the rest of the offense, which make the lack of effort and focus even more inexcusable.

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