INDIANAPOLIS – It’s no secret that Oneil Cruz wants to stick at shortstop. It’s something he has said the past two spring trainings, and to this reporter Thursday in Class AAA Indianapolis
“It feels better than ever,” Cruz said through interpreter and manager Miguel Pérez about how his development at the position is going.
It’s also not a secret that the Pirates would prefer for him to be more defensively versatile and learn the outfield.
The outfield was confirmed to be still an area where he is going to continue to get work, even if he’s only appeared in two games out there so far this season. It was one of the main areas of the development the Pirates wanted to see before a more permanent call up to the majors, even if Cruz’s desire is to stay in the infield.
“He’s been working everywhere,” Pérez said. “Doing stuff, getting ready everywhere.”
But I had to ask, how important is it that he stays at that shortstop?
“It’s [my] main focus,” Cruz said. “To stay there, to get better there.”
MORE PIRATES
2. After a big spring training, Cruz has struggled in the regular season, striking out in 30% of his plate appearances with just one home run. He did drive a ball into the gap for a triple and draw a walk Thursday, perhaps signaling a bit of a turnaround at the dish for him.
“[I’m] around the corner,” Cruz said. “I’m coming.”
I should add that in a couple other conversations I had in Indianapolis, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Cruz is going to figure it out.
3. A naked eye observation from this reporter: The right fielder was playing way off the line, practically in right-center Thursday. Pulled power is usually the last part of a player’s offensive game to develop, but it was interesting to see him have that much open room to work with to his pull side.
4. Cruz has reposted several posts from fans asking when he will be promoted to the majors on his Instagram. I asked him if he felt he is ready now for the call up.
“That’s not up to me,” Cruz said with a smile. “Just doing what I can control, which is continue to work down here. Whenever they decide I’m ready, I’ll be ready.”
5. A team source told me that Max Kranick will likely be one of the next pitchers the Pirates use in their hybrid start-bullpen role. He got a taste of the majors last year, and now he is hitting 97-99 mph more consistently.
“The delivery’s in a good spot,” Kranick told me. “Good mental cues, give myself acclimated in my delivery.”
6. Onto the majors. Not that anyone, including Andy Haines, was too worried about Bryan Reynolds’ early-season slump, but a couple doubles Wednesday certainly helps the OPS and confidence. Haines thinks the center fielder is on the cusp of his breakout.
“His at-bats the last three or four days have been outstanding,” he said. “He’s controlled the zone [and] is taking his walks when they’re today. To see him leveraging the ball is awesome. For Bryan, it’s just about being consistent… It’s just about finding a 10 day stretch where he’s locked in and consistent, and the results will show up.”
7. Ke’Bryan Hayes isn’t one for making excuses – and believe me, it took some coaxing to get even this much out of him – but he has already made as many errors this year as last season (three). Something is up. He brought up the infield dirt, noticing more discrepancies of how hard or soft it is by field than last season. He’s recognized his mistakes in the field, and actually took me step-by-step Wednesday on what he should have done on his error. But something is up defensively for the Pirates. Hayes, Kevin Newman and Cole Tucker were about as solid as anyone when it came to fielding the routine play. That trio has combined to make as many errors this season (nine) as they did in all of 2021.
8. I’ve been meaning to post this for a while, but Haines’ coaching is really resonating with these hitters. You can tell which coaches are leaving an impact when players keep bringing them up unprompted in conversations. A couple other coaches who have been routinely brought up this year: First base coach Tarrik Brock and bullpen coach Justin Meccage.
STEELERS
9. One of the biggest decisions Kevin Colbert made when he took over for Tom Donahoe in 2000 was to keep Bill Nunn on as an advisor. Nunn, who went into the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year as a contributor, had retired as assistant personnel director in the 1980s, but stuck around the organization in a part-time role. Colbert wasn't about to change that, according to former Steelers pro scout Doug Whaley. Colbert later also brought his former boss in Detroit, Ron Hughes in as a scout with the Steelers, as well. "For Kevin, that shows you he wanted a guy to bounce things off of, a guy that’s been through many drafts, how to handle coaches, work with coaches, handle scouts," Whaley told me. "The biggest thing when you get to be a GM is that you don’t have enough time to do a lot of the work, so you really have to rely on the people you hire and their information they give you and be able to make decisions based on the experience and the information that is presented to you. If you can have somebody like a Bill Nunn and then a Ronnie Hughes that he brought in later, that have been through so many situations, it just makes you that much better of a GM and a better decision maker." -- Dale Lolley on the South Side
10. Whaley, of course, was one of the 16 people interviewed as a potential replacement for Colbert. He thinks it would be foolish for whoever is eventually hired to replace Colbert to not want to have the former general manager around as a sounding board for the above-mentioned reasons. "I know this much, whoever gets the job, if they’re smart, I’ve always been taught to surround yourself with wise counsel. Why wouldn’t you want Kevin around?" Whaley said. "Put it this way, if I’m blessed enough to get it, that’s the first thing I’m going to do, try to implore him to stay around as much as possible, as long as possible." Whaley, Philadelphia's Andy Weidl and Green Bay's John Wojciechowski all are outside candidates who worked under Colbert with the Steelers previously. Current pro scouting coordinator Brandon Hunt also has worked directly under him, as well. -- Lolley
11. The first two candidates to get a second interview with the Steelers for the GM job are Ryan Cowden of the Titans and John Spytek of the Buccaneers. Interesting to note that Hunt is being permitted to interview for a position with the Eagles. As I previously reported, Art Rooney II wasn't enamored with Hunt and Omar Khan, the two internal candidates, to replace Colbert. The fact that Hunt is interviewing for another job tells me that's the case. -- Lolley
12. By now, many people have seen or heard the news that the Ravens were set to select Calvin Austin in the fourth round when the Steelers took the speedy wide receiver right before they did. That's not why the Steelers did it, but it's a nice bonus for them. -- Lolley
13. Some have questioned Austin's size. Though he's just a shade under 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds, Austin's not a small guy. In fact, he has a 73-inch wingspan. That's 1/8 of an inch less than Chris Olave and just an inch less than Jahan Dotson. And they both went in the first round. He also has a 39-inch vertical leap, so he plays much bigger than he actually is. Ninety percent of Austin's receptions at Memphis came when he was lined up as an outside receiver. He'll be just fine. -- Lolley
14. I've been told there's a very good chance the Steelers will find themselves playing on Christmas Day this year. Christmas falls on a Sunday this year and the league has decided to challenge the NBA's full-day schedule by holding three games of its own -- as it has done the past few years on Thanksgiving. That will mean an early game, a late afternoon game and the regular Sunday night game. The NFL has played on Christmas Day sparingly, but the Steelers are 2-0 on that date. With the NFL looking to break the NBA's chokehold on that holiday, it will roll out its big ratings guns, of which the Steelers are one. Plan accordingly. -- Lolley
15. Many have questioned why the Steelers would use a second draft pick on a quarterback when they had already selected Kenny Pickett in the first round. But the Steelers selected Chris Oladokun in the seventh round (241st overall) because they knew they were going to need a fourth quarterback in training camp and the offseason and weren't going to get anyone worth their salt if they didn't draft him. Undrafted quarterbacks were going to go to better situations, not one where the only first-round quarterback was selected. The Steelers valued Oladokun because he showed he could quickly learn different systems -- having played at three different schools -- and they won't have to spend a lot of time working with him in camp. The camp arm is more than just a throwaway. If he has to be taught things like how to take a snap under center -- which happens -- it's time wasted that could be spent with Mitch Trubisky and Pickett. Not only that, you want to be able to take a good look at the wide receivers and tight ends on your roster. You can't do that with a bad fourth quarterback. -- Lolley
PENGUINS
16. My sense for months, from speaking to those in the organization, is that there's trepidation about being able to sign both of Kris Letang and Bryan Rust, and there isn't trepidation as related to Evgeni Malkin or Rickard Rakell.
Take that for what it's worth, and I'll attempt to clarify: Most of this seems to hinge on Letang. If he's signed, there's a crunch on, and Rust might get an offer the team can't match. Whereas, if Letang leaves, there's money aplenty for all involved. Letang sees himself -- not without cause -- as being worth more than the $7.25 million salary he's collected for several years now, and the Penguins' view is one of caution regarding both Letang and Malkin, since they're 35 and bound to decline sooner rather than later.
This won't be easy. -- Dejan Kovacevic in New York
17. One place to easily create cap space is to allow Kasperi Kapanen to walk, thus removing a $3.2 million hit. But don't underestimate the extent to which management -- and Mike Sullivan -- believe in his abilities, as well as his potential to blossom. Here again, this sort of thing is contingent on Letang. -- Kovacevic
18. It's looking near-certain that Pittsburgh will be home to a professional women's hockey team next season as part of the new league being formed by the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA). The PWHPA is seeking partnerships with NHL teams as they form the new league, and the Penguins' front office has already begun discussions regarding their involvement with the future team. -- Taylor Haase in New York
19. With David Morehouse stepping down as Penguins president and CEO, it doesn't seem like there will be much change in the day-to-day operations of the club. Kevin Acklin, the team's COO, had already seen an increased role this season and was handling day-to-day duties that were previously Morehouse's. Acklin (along with Brian Burke) will now officially oversee the day-to-day operations, some of which he had already unofficially been doing. -- Haase
20. Morehouse's resignation on the eve of playoffs could cause some to be concerned about his health, given his history of heart issues. I'm told he's feeling as well as he has in a long time and in excellent spirits. -- Kovacevic
21. I don't know if Morehouse has received enough credit for all the innovations he brought to the franchise, some of which have taken hold NHL-wide. Notable among those is the proliferation of outdoor-screen displays across the continent. That took root in Pittsburgh outside the Civic Arena because Morehouse felt compelled to reward those fans who propped up the franchise during its down periods but couldn't squeeze inside the old place once things got good. And he got to know those folks through the pizza giveaways on Student Rush that also were his work.
Big, big part of hockey history in Pittsburgh. Good man, too. -- Kovacevic