CLEARWATER, Fla. — It was simply one other eyebrow-raising, jaw-dropping Monday afternoon within the Grapefruit League for Oneil Cruz, the Pirates’ phenom shortstop.
Cruz had two monster house runs — about 822 ft price, lengthy sufficient mixed to probably disturb motorists alongside the busy thoroughfare of U.S. 19 past proper discipline at BayCare Ballpark — in an 11-2 victory in opposition to the Phillies.
All instructed, Cruz was 3-for-4 with six RBIs in 5 innings. He has seven homers — together with his Statcast-projected 419-foot three-run shot within the third and a 403-foot blast within the fifth — to tie Baltimore’s Kyle Stowers for the MLB Spring Coaching lead.
It was continued encouragement for Cruz, the 6-foot-7, 210-pound sparkplug. He was restricted to 9 video games final season after fracturing his left fibula throughout a home-plate slide on April 10, and he couldn’t observe up on his breakthrough 2022 season, through which he had 17 house runs and the hardest-hit ball since Statcast started monitoring in 2015 (122.4 mph).
Monday’s efficiency was a flashback to these moments.
Pirates first baseman Rowdy Tellez had his first homer of the spring — a Statcast-projected 418-foot bomb that sailed previous the right-field foul pole — however even that prodigious second took second fiddle.
“I don’t have the vocabulary to explain him [Cruz],’’ Tellez mentioned. “It’s spectacular. It truly is. I’ve been on the opposite aspect of it [with an opposing team] for the previous yr, so it’s good to be on this aspect of it, watch it and really clap as a substitute of being upset we threw that pitch to him.
“He’s going to be a generational participant. He’s an elite participant, and he’s among the finest to run on the market daily on the six [shortstop] place. We now have loads to stay up for.’’
Left-hander Martín Pérez, the previous Rangers left-hander who signed as a free agent in January, continued his good spring by permitting two unearned runs on 5 hits and two walks over 5 innings with eight strikeouts. That lowered Pérez’s ERA to 0.75 in three outings.
However after dissecting his stellar pitching effort, even Pérez paid correct homage to Cruz’s afternoon.
“You don’t know the way a lot energy he has,’’ Pérez mentioned. “Spectacular. He’s getting higher. Mentally, he’s higher. He’s getting ready for the sport and listening just a little bit extra.
“From my aspect, I’m going to assist him loads, particularly on the psychological aspect. He’s the way forward for the group. So we’re simply attempting to present him some good route and assist him have a protracted profession.’’
The exit velocities on Cruz’s homers checked in at 111.1 and 111.8 mph. His different 5 spring homers: 116.6, 115.0, 114.4, 105.4 and 104.9.
“He’s superior,’’ Pérez mentioned.
Pérez: Prepared for the true thingPérez mentioned he was happy with one other productive spring outing, which included 11 swings and misses. However he cautioned in opposition to placing an excessive amount of weight on spring statistics.
“I don’t care about Spring Coaching,’’ Pérez mentioned. “I don’t care about what number of strikeouts and what number of innings you are able to do. … I don’t care about numbers. I’m right here to assist the staff win.
“When the season begins, that’s if you go on the market and present what you will have. That is good. However it’s a must to transfer on daily, preserve working, prepare for the subsequent one and see what’s going to occur subsequent week in Miami [in the opening regular-season series].”
Extra ideas on SkenesRight-hander Paul Skenes, the previous LSU All-American who was the primary general decide in final summer season’s MLB Draft, was reassigned to Minor League camp on Sunday, however he made a positive impression on supervisor Derek Shelton.
“No. 1 — and let’s take the stuff out of it and the way he pitched — was simply his general composure, his professionalism for being a younger participant and the way he dealt with himself in a Main League clubhouse,’’ Shelton mentioned. “I feel it was one of many causes we form of uncharacteristically instructed him he was not going to start out the yr within the huge leagues — not solely to him, however publicly — however nonetheless stored him in camp. You don’t [normally] see that.
“I feel it is a testomony to him of how he dealt with himself round our teams, particularly our veteran gamers. After which, No. 2, I feel it exhibits how necessary we really feel he’s to us. We needed him to be round our group for one more week earlier than we have been in a position to ship him out.’’
It could be tempting to hurry up Skenes’ progress and get him to Pittsburgh as quickly as attainable. However Shelton mentioned the Pirates are decided to do what’s greatest for the participant.
“We now have a schedule, and I’d say we’re going to stay very strongly to it,’’ Shelton mentioned. “We may have conversations with him about the place he’s at. We now have to get him used to the skilled routine, how a lot he’s going to pitch and what the buildup goes to be as a result of [of] how necessary he’s to us.’’
