Pirates Writer Raises Concerns Over Player Who Has ‘Dramatically Regressed’

The Pittsburgh Pirates can take some positives away from the 2025 season, but one anticipated cornerstone remains a work in progress.

Oneil Cruz entered the year with high hopes, and he’s continued to flash prolific talent with 19 home runs and 37 stolen bases. However, the outfielder is also batting .200 entering Thursday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles.

In a mailbag column published Thursday, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Noah Hiles wrote that it’s “hard not to be concerned” by Cruz’s prolonged struggles.

“This was supposed to be the year Oneil Cruz took off. The Pirates were banking on him being an All-Star,” Hiles wrote. “Instead, he has dramatically regressed.”

Cruz crushed eight home runs through April and posted a passable .740 in May. The 6-foot-7 slugger has since batted .179/.267/.307 with the worst weighted on-base average (.256 wOBA) of any qualified hitter. A home run on Aug. 30 represents his only extra-base hit in the last 16 games.

Cruz continues to make loud contact, notching an MLB-leading 96.2-mph average exit velocity and the third-highest hard-hit rate behind National League MVP candidates Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Schwarber. But the results haven’t followed, as he’s pounding too many balls into the ground.

“His raw tools are still there, but he just looks completely lost at the plate,” Hiles added. “I have no idea how it got this bad, this fast. He’s struggled before, but he always found a way to break out of his slumps. This is something he can’t seem to escape.”

The Pirates have increasingly benched Cruz against left-handed pitchers, against whom he’s hitting an anemic .105/.223/.181. He’s sitting out Thursday afternoon’s game at Baltimore.

That may feel counterproductive for a young player expected to serve as a foundational piece, but Hiles wondered if the Pirates will still see Cruz as a building block if he doesn’t turn a corner next year.

“It’s worth wondering what his 2026 will look like,” Hiles wrote. “Is it fair to still expect Cruz to be a great player? Or is this just who he is? If he isn’t ever going to figure it out in Pittsburgh, maybe the Pirates should explore other options. I don’t think we’re at that point yet, but I don’t think we’re super far away. Next season is make-or-break for Cruz, in my eyes.”

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