The "let the kids play" movement reached its climax when Oneil Cruz was called up Monday, then did a number on Statcast and Baseball Twitter alike. This is one of the most unusual talents we've seen in the history of baseball and, if one game was enough to live up to the hype, Cruz did it.
But baseball takes more than just one guy. Even if the Pirates struck gold with Cruz and he blossoms into a perennial All-Star or potentially an MVP-caliber player, this team won't go anywhere without a supporting cast. We already know free agency isn't an avenue to build a contending core, especially for this team. So for the Pirates, they have to earn some wins in the player development department.
Yes, Cruz is an exciting player, and every single one of you have every reason to be excited about this guy. But in just two games, Bligh Madris -- who was called up alongside Cruz -- has made just as significant of an impact.
Don't just take my word for it. Daniel Vogelbach made it a point to let people know what Madris has done thus far:
"The hype about Oneil is crazy, and he’s an unbelievable player. But it doesn’t go unseen what Bligh has done very quietly up here. You can say under the radar because with coming up with Oneil, he’s had unbelievable at-bats. He’s played the heck out of defense in his two games out there. He does it quietly. You can tell he has a fire that wants to win."
This was on full display in Tuesday night's 7-1 win over the Cubs. Defensively, Madris has adapted to right field at PNC Park in a near-seamless fashion. At one point, Madris played a line drive from Jason Heyward off the Clemente Wall beautifully to hold him to a single. Then in the sixth inning, he made this catch down the right-field line:
"Kudos to (Tarrik Brock) for getting out there, pushing me out there today and helping me get acclimated to it," Madris said. "He even says it takes about a week to get used to, so I'm just trying my best to do my best out there and play hard."
Making the transition from the minors to the big leagues is a daunting task. There is a long, long list of baseball players that fail to make that leap. There's an obvious physical adjustment, but the number of variables that play into the mental side can weigh a player down, taking away from his ability to do what he needs to do above all else: perform.
With the number of injuries to veteran players and an infusion of talent from the farm system, the Pirates roster has constantly been in a state of flux. The road blocks that can deter a young player trying to make the jump to Pittsburgh are there in plain sight. But when I asked Madris about how he is handling the transition, I immediately took notice of the number of names he rattled off:
That would explain the background behind the highlight of Tuesday night's win.
With the Pirates already leading 6-1 in the sixth inning, Madris officially made his second night in the big leagues a good one. Carrying an 0-for-2 performance with him to the plate, Madris pounced on an 0-1 cutter from Mark Leiter Jr. on the inner half of the plate and smacked it 394 feet for his first major-league home run:
Look at that celebration. Seriously, watch it again:
Look at all the names in the middle of that scrum, including Jack Suwinski and Cal Mitchell. And there aren't enough words to describe that embrace between Madris and Cruz. This is a tight-knit group that has grown up together. They've talked about getting to this point and building something special together. And now they are getting their chance.
It's not been an easy road for Madris. Up until this season, he's had to battle ever since being selected in the ninth round of the 2017 MLB Draft out of Colorado Mesa University. Not many players play three years of college, then spend five years in the minor leagues. But after breaking through during spring training and in Indianapolis this season, Madris became the first Palauan player in MLB history.
"My path was different compared to everyone else's," Madris said. "I couldn't have drawn that up any better."
"I think in Bligh's case, we talked about it being an organizational win," Derek Shelton said. "I think his teammates realize what he's done and how he's done it. I just think we have a youthfulness about us right now. That can bring energy, which is cool to see."
That energy -- that youthfulness -- was epitomized with that celebration in the dugout. And the good news is it sounds like it's meshing with the veterans.
"Those guys are contagious," Vogelbach said. "You want to be around those guys.”
• Cruz didn't quite have the same game as he did in his 2022 debut. Nevertheless, he still made an impact.
As the Pirates built a 3-0 lead, Cruz worked a full count against Cubs starter Matt Swarmer. On the seventh pitch of the at-bat, Cruz hit a 111.8-mph laser through the shift for an RBI single:
Cruz did exactly what a good hitter should do in that situation -- make a pitcher pay for leaving a 3-2 pitch in the middle of the plate.
Then Cruz used his elite speed to apply pressure on the bases. With Vogelbach on third base and Madris at the plate, Cruz broke for second base and manufactured a run with a deadly combination of speed and fear:
Willson Contreras is no slouch behind the plate, ranking in the 72nd percentile in pop time to second base. But that elite speed can instill fear in any player. That's exactly what happened here, and that's what makes Cruz so special. He can make an impact in so many ways. Whether he's hitting rockets, throwing missiles or wreaking havoc on the bases, he has the potential to alter the game at any point.
• Vogelbach had a standout performance, going 2 for 2 with two walks and two RBIs. Shelton said Vogelbach might have been trying to swing his way back to normal when he first returned from the injured list on June 3. But after having some bad luck with some hard-hit balls in recent games, Vogelbach was finally rewarded for having good at-bats Tuesday night.
For Vogelbach, he's been most successful this season when he's not chasing hits. When he's sticking to that approach, he has nights like Tuesday, and that obviously helps the team in multiple ways.
“When I feel I’m at my best is when I’m walking and I’m hitting at the same time because I’m a believer that walking is hitting," Vogelbach said. "Sometimes, you can’t control whether they throw you strikes. All you can control is when they throw it over the plate, you’ve got to hit it hard. That’s kind of what I’ve been focusing on this year."
• Roansy Contreras didn't have his best stuff. Shelton noticed his curveball wasn't quite as sharp and Contreras really struggled with efficiency. He threw 32 pitches in the first inning and reached 92 by the time he completed five. He allowed just one run, which was a mammoth 461-foot home run by Patrick Wisdom, but he was able to battle through and at least get deep enough to pick up the win and not tax the bullpen.
"For young pitchers, they can let that unravel when they don't have their best stuff, and he still was able to go out and execute pitches, get us through five," Shelton said. "He gave us the ability to win the game. For a 22-year-old, it's only going to move upward from there."
• Yerry De Los Santos is pitching really well out of the bullpen. Really well. He logged another scoreless inning in this game, lowering his season ERA to 2.08 and WHIP to 0.69. In eight outings, he's pitched 8 2/3 innings with 11 strikeouts.
We've talked a lot about the rookie position players, but what if De Los Santos can become a legitimate arm in front of David Bednar out of the bullpen?
DK has a podcast on that below.
• Josh VanMeter, Kevin Newman and Yoshi Tsutsugo all began their rehab assignments at Indianapolis Tuesday night. Ben Gamel will likely begin his rehab assignment on Thursday.
With all of the young guys on the roster, and Tucupita Marcano soon to come off the COVID IL, Ben Cherington and Co. have some tough decisions ahead regarding the roster.
THE ESSENTIALS
• Boxscore
• Live file
• Standings
• Statistics
• Schedule
• Scoreboard
THE HIGHLIGHTS
THE INJURIES
• 10-day injured list: OF Ben Gamel (hamstring), OF Jake Marisnick (thumb), 1B Yoshi Tsutsugo (lumbar muscle strain), Josh VanMeter (finger)
• 15-day injured list: RHP Zach Thompson (forearm), LHP Dillon Peters (back)
• 60-day injured list: SS Kevin Newman (groin), OF Canaan Njigba-Smith (wrist), OF Greg Allen (hamstring), RHP Blake Cederlind (UCL), RHP Nick Mears (elbow surgery), Roberto Pérez (hamstring, out for season)
• COVID injured list: INF/OF Tucupita Marcano, RHP Duane Underwood Jr., OF Jake Marisnick
THE LINEUPS
Shelton's card:
1. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
2. Bryan Reynolds, CF
3. Jack Suwinski, LF
4. Daniel Vogelbach, DH
5. Michael Chavis, 1B
6. Oneil Cruz, SS
7. Bligh Madris, RF
8. Michael Perez, C
9. Hoy Park, 2B
And for Ross' Cubs:
1. Christopher Morel, CF
2. Willson Contreras, C
3. Ian Happ, DH
4. Patrick Wisdom, 3B
5. Rafael Ortega, LF
6. Nico Hoerner, SS
7. Jason Heyward, RF
8. Andrelton Simmons, 2B
9. Alfonso Rivas, 1B
THE SCHEDULE
Same two teams Wednesday, 7:05 p.m., RHP Jerad Eickhoff will make his Pirates debut against RHP Keegan Thompson (6-2, 3.27). I'll have it covered.
THE CONTENT
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