The wait is finally over.
Top prospect Oneil Cruz is being called up by the Pirates from Class AAA Indianapolis, per a source Sunday afternoon and later confirmed by Derek Shelton.
"Now's the time we think he can help us," Shelton said after the 4-3 victory over the Giants at PNC Park. "We've talked about a lot of things developmentally. There are still some things we are going to work on, but we think now's the time he's going to help us."
Cruz, the No. 20 prospect in the game according to Baseball America, is slashing .233/.337/.424 with nine home runs, 35 RBIs and 11 stolen bases, but that only tells part of the story. After getting off to a very slow start in April, Cruz has heated up with the temperature, recording an .868 OPS in May and an .864 OPS in June.
The 6-foot-7 23-year-old possesses arguably the best power tool in the Pirates' organization, which he showed in a cup of coffee at the end of last season where he made his major-league debut and homered in his final at-bat.
While the Pirates have promoted many prospects so far this season -- you have to go back to 1970 to find the last time the team played this many players who were 23 or younger in the first half of the season -- Cruz has stayed in the minors, with the organization routinely citing player development as the reason.
“We love what he can do, but we want to make sure that we've checked every box, dotted every I and crossed every T, to put him in the best position to be incredibly successful," director of coaching and player development John Baker told traveling media in Atlanta last week.
One of the main developmental focuses for Cruz was his defense, both at his native shortstop and in the outfield. At shortstop, he has made 14 errors in 44 games at shortstop, though general manager Ben Cherington has said that internal defensive models grade him positively at shortstop.
“It’s [my] main focus,” Cruz told me about playing shortstop in Indianapolis in May, as interpreted by Indians manager Miguel Pérez. “To stay there, to get better there.”
In the outfield, Cruz has started nine games in left field, where he made a pair of errors.
Shelton said that Cruz will predominantly play shortstop, though he will also probably play some outfield.
During his radio show on 93.7 The Fan Sunday, Cherington spoke at length about Cruz's defense and development.
"I think this is a case where development is going to continue," Cherington said. "No matter what level you're at, including the major leagues, we've got young players here who continue to improve every day. A player doesn't have to be finished or perfect by any means to get called up. But we do want to make sure that there's enough progress in the key areas and that a player's ready to come here and continue that development, continue that improvement but also contribute to the team right away."
Defensively, Cherington said again that he felt it's something that can "improve over time," and that oftentimes it improves at the major-league level."
Swing decisions and approach has also been an area the Pirates have focused on for Cruz's development.
Acquired from the Dodgers in a 2017 trade for Tony Watson, Cruz provides the Pirates a potential boost at shortstop, a definite position of need. On the season, FanGraphs values Pirates shortstops at -1 WAR, and their combined .583 OPS is also second-worst in baseball behind the Nationals.
Opening day shortstop Kevin Newman is nearing a rehab assignment, though Cruz's promotion would indicate that the starting job is the rookie's.
Additionally, Shelton said the Pirates will promote outfielder/first baseman Bligh Madris. The 26-year-old has slashed .304/.395/.519 over 179 plate appearances for Indianapolis.
"He can play both corner outfield spots, and he deserves to be called up," Shelton said.
Corresponding roster moves will be announced by the club Monday. Madris will require a 40-man roster move since his contract will need to be selected.
