Pirates Star’s Turnaround May Stem From Don Kelly’s Tough Love

Pittsburgh Pirates star Oneil Cruz is finally heating up, and it is no coincidence that it started right after Don Kelly got involved.

The club saw a change in tone and tempo from Cruz (.209, 15 home runs, 35 RBIs in 76 games) during its series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday. In the first inning, with two outs and a runner on third, the shortstop scorched a grounder to second base. He was narrowly thrown out, but what mattered more was his obviously hustle. Cruz sprinted hard out of the box and was almost safe, showing the kind of all-out effort that he had been lacking in recent weeks.

“(Cruz) didn’t get the swing that he wanted, yet he still busted down the line trying to beat it out,” wrote Baron Dionis of Rum Bunter. “That is a big step in the right direction.”

The shift in urgency did not come out of nowhere. After Cruz jogged out a double play in a recent game against the Milwaukee Brewers, the Pirates manager took action, both on the lineup card and behind the scenes. Kelly removed Cruz from that game and said he would address the play with him privately.

Cruz also has not seen the leadoff spot since and has instead been batting in the middle third of the Pirates’ order, where his power plays better and the pressure is slightly reduced.

Kelly’s tough love strategy appears to be working. Cruz is fresh off a two-homer performance and looks far more locked in on both sides of the ball.

The Pirates need him engaged, not just for short-term wins but to keep building a sustainable core around his talents.

When his energy dips, so does his impact —a common bad habit among young players. But when Cruz is locked in, like he has been after Kelly’s intervention, it’s a different story. If this version of Cruz sticks, it changes the entire outlook for the Pirates’ lineup.

Kelly’s hard line came at the right time, and now the results are starting to show.

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