Oneil Cruz plans to reach out to Fernando Tatis Jr. for advice.
Cruz shared on Tuesday that he was disappointed when the Pittsburgh Pirates told him he would be moving from shortstop to center field. He felt he had done enough this season to remain in the infield.
However, Cruz is hopeful for a smooth transition, similar to Tatis, who is also from the Dominican Republic and was a former shortstop but is now known as one of the best right fielders in the majors.
“Not good news, but not bad, at the same time,” Cruz said Tuesday through a translator. “There’s some things that you can’t control as a player and that’s what the organization decided in that moment. I’m just going to do my best.”
Cruz has not yet contacted anyone but plans to call Tatis for advice and to learn about his experience with a position change.
Tatis was an All-Star shortstop in 2021 but had multiple injuries that year, including shoulder issues and a broken wrist from a motorcycle accident. He also served an 80-game suspension for a PED violation in August 2022.
Despite these challenges, Tatis won a Gold Glove last year, and Cruz hopes to achieve similar success in center field.
“Every player that plays every position, you want to be the best at your position,” Cruz said. “If that’s the move, I’m going to try to do my best every day, become one of the best.
“I’ll say it this way, I’m going to be playing in the middle of the diamond, still, in the outfield. All I have to do is erase it from my mind that I was a shortstop and do my best out there as a center fielder.”
Cruz made 24 errors in 112 games at shortstop this season, which was the second-most in the majors behind Elly De La Cruz of the Cincinnati Reds (26). During a stretch from July 27 to August 2, Cruz made seven errors, including three in a 5-4 loss to Houston on July 31.
The 25-year-old Cruz has committed three errors in 17 games since August 3, but this hasn’t been enough to prevent his move to center field.
The transition may take some time. Cruz will be the designated hitter for the second consecutive day on Tuesday against the Chicago Cubs.
Before batting practice, Cruz walked to center field and fielded a few balls.
“I watched it. It went well,” said Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton. “He did a good job. He’s a really good athlete. Balls off machines, doing reads, doing breaks, he looked very natural.
“There are going to be bumps in the road and we understand that. There are going to be plays that are challenging for all outfielders. The initial watching him — breaks, reads, drop step — he was very good.”
There is no set date for Cruz’s debut in the outfield.
“If you leave it up to me, I would play center field today because that’s what their decision (is) and I would like to start as soon as possible,” Cruz said.
Shelton was pleased with Cruz’s eagerness.
“I love that he said that. It’s good that he said that,” Shelton said. “Just get him a little bit of reps out there before we actually do it.”
Cruz was surprised by the decision, which contributed to his disappointment. Shelton mentioned that Cruz seems to be accepting the change more positively now.
“There is a different smile on his face today,” Shelton said. “Did it take a day? Yeah, probably. I think we expected that.”
