The Pittsburgh Pirates are thriving early in the NL Central race with a 6-3 mark, buoyed by the scorching bat of outfielder Oneil Cruz, who’s slashing .314 with four homers. Yet his defensive woes, epitomised by the blunders that torpedoed Paul Skenes after just 0.2 innings in the opener, expose a glaring flaw. Even so, voices like ex-Blue Jays stalwart Kevin Pillar urge patience rather than panic.

“Playing the corners is way more challenging, especially for someone who’s never played the outfield before. He’s an athletic guy who’ll figure it out eventually,” Pillar said via Foul Territory.

Well, Cruz was initially a shortstop who later transitioned to the outfield. He played shortstop for his first few seasons, breaking records with his high-velocity throws across the infield, including a 97.8 mph throw in 2022. Next, in the second half of 2024, the Pirates moved Cruz to center field to solidify their outfield defense.

The change was strategic, but affected Oneil Cruz’s defense. Last year, he finished with -14 DRS, which was the second-worst mark of any qualified center fielder in MLB. Even in the 2026 opening game, his two major blunders happened in center field. The first blunder was when Cruz broke inward toward the infield rather than retreating to catch Brett Batty’s hit. The ball sailed over his head and hit the wall.

This resulted in a bases-clearing triple, giving the Mets a 4-2 lead.

Then, in the next pitch off Skenes, Marcus Semien hit a routine fly ball. Cruz completely lost the ball in the sun, and the ball dropped untouched.

“Just the sun was right in front of my face,” Cruz said. “Obviously, we don’t want that stuff to happen, those things to happen, but it was really uncomfortable today to have the sun right in front of my face. I was trying my best, but it was kind of tough.”

So, while the $3.3 million slugger shared his concern in the center field, Pillar warned Bob Nutting not to alter his position. According to Pillar, Oneil Cruz’s struggle in center field might force the Pirates to think left or right field for him, but it would be a blunder. Why? It is considered easier for an infielder to transition to center field because it requires similar athleticism, range, and straight-on reads, avoiding the tricky balls tailing toward lines or the complex wall caroms found in corner positions.

On the other hand, Corner outfielders must learn to handle specific, often odd, wall caroms. So, Oneil Cruz can have sunglasses in the center field, but a move to a corner field position is strictly out of the question.

Oneil Cruz’s numbers at the batter’s box are too good

The Pirates benched Cruz for their second game against the Mets after his opening-day errors. They quickly reinstated him, however, thanks to his elite offensive production and dramatic improvement over last year.

For example, last year, he had just 11 hits in 108 at-bats against left-handers. This year, Cruz already hit two home runs off left-handed pitchers! A year ago, he hit just .102 against left-handed pitching with only a single home run. And in nine games this season, he is already 6-for-8 against lefties with the aforementioned two home runs. Huge leap indeed!

He’s also unleashed a power surge, including a multi-homer game on April 1 against the Reds and a two-run shot on April 5 versus the Orioles. That stretch has pushed his line to .314/.368/.657 with four homers, 10 RBI, and nine runs scored.

So, Oneil Cruz has unlocked power against his biggest weakness from last year, a boon the Pirates desperately need. As Paul Skenes regains his rhythm following that opening-game debacle, the offense is firing on all cylinders. Stronger numbers in center field would fully justify Oneil Cruz’s $3.3 million price tag.