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Pirates Fans Will Love This Oneil Cruz Prediction For 2025 MLB Season

Can Cruz become a bona fide superstar?

One division typically gets overlooked in baseball when it comes to identifying star players — the National League Central.

That should change in 2025, as it’s home to multiple up-and-coming stars, as well as seasoned veterans. MLB.com’s David Adler predicted one dark horse to be the best player in each division in 2025 and tabbed Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Oneil Cruz as his candidate for the NL Central.

“Cruz hits the ball as hard as anybody in the world (his 95.5 mph average exit velocity, 121.5 mph max exit velocity, 54.9% hard-hit rate and 15.7% barrel rate in 2024 all ranked in the 97th percentile of MLB or better),” Adler wrote in a report published Jan. 31. “He’s one of the faster players in the majors (his 28.8 ft/sec sprint speed ranked in the 88th percentile). And his move to center field late last season helped him defensively: He went from minus-3 outs above average at shortstop to plus-2 outs above average in center. He feels like he’s on the verge of putting it all together and becoming a star.”

Following a solid rookie campaign in 2022, an injury derailed Cruz’s 2023 season. He returned in 2024, smashing 21 home runs and stealing 22 bags while slashing .259/.324/.449 with 76 RBIs across 146 games –and he’s just entering his age-26 season in 2025. Cruz still has loads of potential and plenty of power to become a bona fide superstar.

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Featured image via Ken Blaze/Imagn Images