Cruz getting better with time: 'I think we're seeing more professional at-bats'

Derek Shelton wasn't concerned with the fact that Oneil Cruz concluded the month of August with just one home run to his ledger. A massive power threat with the ability to change the complexion of a game with one swing of the bat, Cruz wasn't getting the ball elevated enough for his home run numbers to increase, but he never stopped hitting the ball hard and wasn't going to the plate with the sole intention of sending a ball out of the ballpark. That's partly why he was ultimately able to bat .389 with a .986 OPS and 14 RBIs in 25 games last month. 

"I don't think he ever went home run hunting," Shelton said earlier this week. "He stayed within his swing, he stayed within his approach 'cause he's going to hit them ... They will come, and it's something he will learn in time when he's going to do different things. But, as long as he continues to hit the ball hard, I think we're in a pretty good spot." 

While Cruz didn't homer in the Pirates' 8-3 loss to the Royals Friday night at PNC Park, he once again wasn't going to the plate looking to go deep. It was moreso encouraging that he went 2 for 4 with a double and a ninth-inning RBI single, while once again benefitting from seeing more pitches, getting deeper into counts and putting together professional at-bats. 

Even the two strikeouts he had in his first two at-bats -- on a night where Pirates hitters struck out 14 times -- concluded better at-bats. Instead of being blown away by three straight breaking balls, a sight we’ve all seen more than a few times, Cruz worked his way into 2-2 counts before ultimately being retired on strikes. In his first at-bat, Cruz got ahead 2-1, let a curveball land on the outer third without taking a swing and then showed enough discipline not to swing at an inside sinker that unfortunately was called a strike for the second out of the first inning. 

Cruz fouled off three straight pitches, including a pair of breaking balls, in his second at-bat and showed enough patience to avoid chasing a breaking ball and an offspeed pitch from Royals starter Alec Marsh. He ended up striking out swinging on a curveball that just hit the outside corner of the zone, a scenario in which Marsh made a perfect pitch and Cruz couldn't get to it. 

His final two at-bats of the night showcased his ability to stay within his approach and avoid trying to do too much. In the sixth, he got behind 0-2 after an ugly swing on a ball in the dirt and sent a 94 mph sinker up and on the outer third into the gap in left-center field for a 110 mph double, his 34th of the season: 

Then, with the Pirates finally starting to generate some sort of offensive fluidity, Cruz put together perhaps his best at-bat of the night. He managed to work his way into a 3-2 count by laying off some tough pitches, including a 2-2 breaking ball in the dirt. He ended up sending a 3-2 fastball on the outer third the other way for an RBI single. That's a guy simply trying to keep the line going rather than swinging with the intent of sending a ball into orbit: 

"You can even go back to probably pre-All-Star break. I think we're seeing more professional at-bats," Shelton said following Friday's loss. "The kid just needs reps. He's extremely talented. The ball he hit in the gap early and then the last at-bat, the base hit, he sees more pitches and he continues to get better."

As Shelton alluded to, the more reps he gets, the better Cruz will be as a more complete offensive threat. Sure the strikeout numbers are still relatively high at 30.6%, but he's still putting up impressive numbers in his first full big-league season, as he's hitting .267 with a .786 OPS to accompany his 19 home runs and 73 RBIs through 133 games. And none of this is even mentioning the impact he has as a base stealer with a team-high 22 stolen bases and the impressive way in which he's coming along with his transition from shortstop to center field. 

Cruz has certainly had his struggles, both in the field at shortstop and at the plate. The latter included a two-month stretch to start the year in which he hit a measly .241 with an on-base percentage that sat below the .300 mark. But since June 2, Cruz has looked like a different hitter. In 80 games and over 300 at-bats over the last three months, Cruz is slashing .285/.343/.490 wtih 12 home runs and 53 RBIs. He also has 22 doubles, two triples, 44 runs scored and 18 stolen bases. 

Therefore, after missing all but nine games due to injury last season, Cruz is in a much better spot now as this year winds down to its final two weeks. 

"It's just the more pitches he sees, the more he plays, the better he's going to be," Shelton said. "I really believe that."