A day after Derek Shelton detailed the Pirates' intentions to transition Oneil Cruz from a shortstop to a center fielder, Cruz described his initial reaction to the decision, of which he was informed following Sunday's game against the Reds.
“Not good news, but not bad at the same time," Cruz said via interpreter and major-league coach Stephen Morales Tuesday afternoon. "There are some things that you can’t control as a player and that’s what the organization decided in that moment and I’m just going to do my best.”
Cruz said the decision took him by surprise, which is mainly where his disappointment in it stemmed from. While that disappointment was something Shelton and Ben Cherington expected, Cruz said he's still focused on going out there, doing his best at the position and getting better every day.
"Just put my mind in the right place and try to be the best outfielder I can be," Cruz said. "I see it this way -- I'm gonna be playing in the middle of the diamond, still, in the outfield. All I have to do is just erase it in my mind that I was a shortstop and do my best out there as a center fielder."
Regarding the decision to begin this transition mid-season, Cruz said he would have thought it would have been better to make the move after the season. But, again, he reiterated that it was out of his control. It was a decision management made and he's going to accept it.
Cruz has been out on the field taking fly balls and getting work in with first base/outfield coach Tarrik Brock prior to these two games against the Cubs. Shelton was able to watch as he took part in drills Tuesday and said everything went well.
"He did a good job. He’s a really good athlete. Balls off machines, doing reads, doing breaks, he looked very natural," Shelton said. "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, but the initial watching him -- reads, breaks, drop step. He was very good.”
The 6-foot-7 Cruz knows he'll have more room to run and use his legs in the outfield. With his athleticism, he'll be able to get balls in the gap that he normally wouldn't have the time to get to in the infield. His skill set could translate well to the outfield. But, as Shelton mentioned, there will be challenges associated with this transition. In addition to having to learn how to navigate the outfield wall, the other adjustments Cruz will inevitably have to make will revolve around what to do in certain in-game situations.
"Anytime you move a guy away from where they have been, it’s situationally understanding what they have to do. How they go about it," Shelton said. "The one thing we are going to run into with Cruzy is he has a weapon in his arm and he’s going to want to use it at times. There will be times where we will probably try to bring it back a little bit, but I would rather that be the case than having to push him the other way.”
If it were up to Cruz, he said he would be playing center field when the Pirates take on the Cubs in the second game of their three-game set at PNC Park tonight. Instead, he'll remain at designated hitter and bat in the cleanup spot. While it's clear he's not entirely in favor of the move from the dirt to the grass, his urgency to play center as early as tonight speaks to how eager he is to get back out in the field.
I asked Shelton if there was a specific timeline associated with when they'd like to see Cruz out in center for the first time in a game. He said they want to make sure they see him check off the boxes in terms of his work before having a conversation with him and determining a specific date for his debut.
"My assumption is he probably said ‘I’ll play there today,'" Shelton said before learning that is indeed what Cruz told reporters. "I love that so much. I love that he said that. It’s good that he said that. Tarik needs to look at him and check off some boxes and see where he’s at. Just get him a little bit of reps out there before we actually do it. No, really don’t have a timeline. Don’t expect it will be tomorrow, but hopefully sooner than later.”
