The O’Neill – Cruz Connection

Oneil Cruz was named for Paul O’Neill, who played for both the Cincinnati Reds and the New York Yankees over the course of his 17-year career. Paul O’Neill was a five-time All Star; a five-time World Series champion (once with the Reds and four times with the Yankees); and the 1994 American League batting champion. He just had his number 21 retired by the Yankees this summer – though he had already been awarded a plaque in Yankee Stadium’s Monument Park.

Best known for his constant compulsion to make contact at the plate, O’Neill had his share of home runs – but he wasn’t considered a true power hitter. He was extremely hard on himself, and was often caught on camera knocking over the water cooler (among other antics) in the Yankee dugout after he made out in an at-bat.

Interestingly, O’Neill tells the story that when he first came up with the Reds, on his very first day as a major league rookie, the equipment manager misspelled the name on the back of his uniform: it read O’Neil. He was too excited to play in his very first MLB game to get the correction made before game time, however; and so he played as O’Neil that day.

Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz is the son of retired Nippon (Japanese League) professional baseball player Rafael Cruz. Cruz named his son after his favorite player; and given his father’s history as a professional baseball player and the inspiration for his first name, it’s not surprising Oneil Cruz aspired to be a professional baseball player – and looks to have the goods to do it. Ironically, he bats lefty as did Paul O’Neill – although he throws righty.

Cruz is unusually tall for a shortstop. He’s listed at 6 foot 7 inches and 215 pounds. The only equivalently tall major league shortstop was 6-foot-7-inch Joel Guzman, who played nine innings for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2007. There have been three 6-foot-5-inch major leaguers who started some games at shortstop: Archi Cianfrocco, Troy Glaus, and Michael Morse. Cal Ripken is 6 foot 4 inches; and Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, and Troy Tulowitzki are all 6 foot 3 inches, which is not exactly average for shortstops, either – but should provide some standard of comparison. Shortstop is not typically the tallest position on the team; and Oneil Cruz is as tall as Yankee outfielder Aaron Judge, who’s famed for towering over both the other players and the umpires on the field.

Not that height matters in baseball, particularly. We’ve all seen the success over the years of shorter players like Jose Altuve (5 foot 6 inches), Yogi Berra (5 foot 7 inches), and Dustin Pedroia (5 foot 9 inches). These all are or were shorter than average infielders (though Berra was a catcher), while Cruz is taller than average infielder. So the real question is, height aside, given Cruz’s baseball tools, is he most suited to be an infielder; and more specifically, a shortstop?

To be a good shortstop requires range and agility. That’s one reason you don’t often see very tall or large shortstops; and in their day each of Ripken and Rodriguez were considered large to be playing that position. Certainly Troy Glaus would have been considered large for the position, but then again – it wasn’t his regular position.

Now here’s the real question about Oneil Cruz: does he have the range and agility it takes to play the shortstop position, long-term, at the major league level?

We’ve all heard the criticisms by now that Derek Jeter was limited defensively as a shortstop, although his offensive numbers alone are Hall of Fame numbers. And in truth, though Alex Rodriguez moved to third base when he was traded by the Texas Rangers to the Yankees (because shortstop was Jeter’s position), most pundits will tell you he was almost unquestionably the better shortstop of the two. Why? Because Rodriguez always had more range than Jeter. For a pretty large guy, not only did he have the right kind of agility for the position – he also had the right kind of range for the position.

But to be a really good shortstop, you also need a rather strong arm. Now here’s where the best shortstops we’ve listed so far all shined, and that includes Derek Jeter. They all had strong throwing arms. Not all equally, of course, but certainly sufficiently. There’s a reason both Ripken and Rodriguez were able to successfully move to third base – they both could throw. And throw hard. And this is also where Oneil Cruz shines. He’s got a gun for an arm, just as did Paul O’Neill. The difference is, he’s using it at shortstop. And one has to ask the question: is this where his throwing prowess is best utilized?

Cruz is fast, he’s strong, he throws hard, and he has good baseball instincts. He’s got the potential to be a lefty power hitter for years to come. He’s hit the ten hardest hit balls by a Pirate this year. But does he have the agility and range to be the best shortstop on the field? Even if we ignore the height factor, is shortstop the role where his most significant baseball tools are being used – or would they be better suited to third base – or even in the outfield?

Scouts have projected that long term, Cruz moves to a corner infield position. But if you add up his assets, I don’t think he’s limited to first or third base. I certainly think his strengths would be even more wasted at first base than they may be at shortstop. Long term, I can most see Cruz at third or in the outfield. Outfield positions require a different kind of speed and range and agility than does shortstop. And given Cruz’s strength and athleticism, I can ultimately see him quite literally following in Paul O’Neill’s footsteps – way out there in right field.

One day in the not too distant future, when Oneil Cruz is hitting the ball over the wall, flipping his bat, and circling the bases as he comes home, the question will be: where on the field does he go when the next inning starts? And it’s my distinct hope it’ll be where he can best show us who he really is as a player. And that may very well not be at shortstop.