When word spread that Oneil Cruz would be out for an extended period with a left hand injury, Pittsburgh Pirates fans hit the panic button and declared on social media that a promising season was all but over.
The 6-foot-7, 248-pound center fielder was having a career year when he slid head-first into home plate Saturday and was tagged by Atlanta Braves catcher Austin Wynns, suffering fourth and fifth metacarpal non-displaced fractures that could keep him out four to six weeks.
Although Cruz had the worst defensive metrics of any outfielder in the major leagues with minus-9 defensive runs saved, the Pirates know they can’t duplicate his arm strength or speed, let alone his offensive output. Cruz was batting .264/.350/.472 with 10 doubles, 14 home runs, 44 RBIs, 45 runs scored and a team-leading 21 stolen bases in 64 games, finally looking like he had figured out how to tap into his unlimited potential.
“We’re not going to be able to replace Oneil and what he’s meant,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said, “the growth that he’s shown as a player on the field and getting better in center field, having better at-bats, the work he put in to get better against left-handed pitching, how he was trying to be in there and play. … I just think speaks to who Oneil is, how he’s continued to grow as a person and a player. You can’t try to replace anybody, especially a guy like Oneil.”
To borrow a memorable line by Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane from the movie “Moneyball,” the Pirates know there’s no replacing Cruz, so they have to re-create him in the aggregate. It will require a collective effort, a combination of Jake Mangum’s batting for average and playing at a breakneck pace, Billy Cook’s arm strength and defense and the power potential of Tyler Callihan and Esmerlyn Valdez.
“He’s been playing great for us, so obviously it’s a big blow,” Pirates left fielder Bryan Reynolds said of Cruz. “Hopefully it’s on the shorter end. Guys are going to step up, like Callihan did.”
Complicating matters is that the Pirates are playing not only without Cruz but also rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin, who is on the injured list with a right elbow strain. Kelly called them “two of our best players,” as Cruz and Griffin are five-tool talents who can change the complexion of the game with their dynamic blend of power and speed.
The Los Angeles Dodgers series gave the Pirates a glimmer of hope that they can cope without Cruz, with Callihan’s performance an indication of a player taking advantage of an opportunity.
Acquired from the Cincinnati Reds in March, Callihan hit the first two home runs of his major league career in Wednesday’s 9-8 win, the first a solo shot off Shohei Ohtani that cleared the right field seats at PNC Park and the second a three-run shot to give the Pirates the lead. On Thursday, Callihan had a pinch-hit walk to load the bases in the fifth inning and hit a leadoff triple in the eighth, then scored a run.
“I think it can be a great opportunity for some guys,” Pirates right fielder Ryan O’Hearn said. “Looking back on my career, when I finally started to establish myself as a guy it was because of an extended opportunity to play. It sucks that Cruz is going to be out for a while, but the guys that are going to take his spot are going to be hungry and ready to ball. That’s one silver lining that’s cool.”
The Pirates know that Cruz’s absence will be a test. They lost one of the most dangerous bats and baserunners in baseball, so it will take multiple players to fill his void.
Mangum started all three games against the Dodgers in center field and should get the bulk of early playing time in center. Mangum is a natural center fielder – he calls it his “home spot” – even though he’s started more games in left (60) than center (38) and almost as many in right (34) in his MLB career.
“He plays with his hair on fire,” Kelly said. “Love it. Love what he’s about, what he brings, He’s a Pittsburgh-type player.”
Kelly said he’s “excited to see what he can do with a little bit more runway,” though he warned that there will be times when the Pirates have to rein him in because of his breakneck style of play.
A 30-year-old switch hitter acquired from Tampa Bay in December, Mangum has proven that he can hit for average (.295) and get on base (.348) but doesn’t produce much power. He went 4 for 12 with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI against the Dodgers.
“I know I’m not going to replace 20-30 home runs,” Mangum said, “but I’m going to give you good at-bats, hit for a high average and, hopefully, get the OPS up a bit.”
To balance the production, the Pirates also promoted Cook and Valdez from Triple-A Indianapolis for depth and shifted Callihan from third base to right field. Kelly was quick to proclaim Cook the best defender of their center field candidates. Despite batting only .190 (4 for 21) in 33 games, Cook has a strong arm, can cover ground and has served as a reliable late-inning defensive replacement. The Pirates put Cook in center field and shifted Mangum to left and Bryan Reynolds to right for the ninth inning of Wednesday’s 9-8 win over the Dodgers.
“You know how big left field can get,” Cook said of PNC Park, “so having two center fielders out there is good.”
Callihan has only played four games in the outfield in the majors – all at corner spots – but his bat could get him a longer look in the lineup. He’s 5 for 13 (.385) with two doubles, a triple, two homers and six RBIs for an eye-popping 1.733 OPS in eight games with the Pirates, a small but impressive sample size.
Valdez hit 25 doubles, 26 homers and 86 RBIs in the minors last season, split between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona to win the club’s Willie Stargell slugger of the year award. He continued to rake, with eight homers in the Arizona Fall League, 13 doubles and 13 homers at Triple-A Indianapolis and two homers in the majors.
Kelly warned about a lesson he learned in nine MLB seasons as a utility player is the danger for anyone to attempt to duplicate Cruz’s production.
“You have to stay within yourself and go do what you’re capable of,” Kelly said. “We’ve got a lot of good players in there that are able to do that. We just have to stay within ourselves and not go out there and try to replace anybody. Just be ourselves and continue to have good at-bats.”
The news of losing Cruz could have been devastating for the Pirates, so O’Hearn called the rally from a five-run deficit for a thrilling comeback win Wednesday a “big morale booster.”
“I don’t subscribe to the ‘sky is falling’ theory,” O’Hearn said. “You try to keep things in perspective. Cruz is going to be out a couple weeks or a month, whatever it is, and then he’s going to be back. Our team’s going to find ways to win. That’s what you do when you have goals as a team. We definitely have those goals and aspirations, and we have the guys in here to do it so we’ve got to keep moving, keep playing hard and finding ways to win.”