Pirates’ Oneil Cruz Has ‘Secret Weapon’ Entering MLB Home Run Derby

Oneil Cruz reportedly received valuable assistance before the 2025 MLB Home Run Derby.

Following an erratic first half, Cruz will represent the Pittsburgh Pirates in the annual home run-hitting contest Monday night at Truist Park. The 26-year-old remains poised to compete despite exiting Saturday’s game with a potential hip injury.

Cruz got some pointers from a “secret weapon of sorts” before his first crack at the Home Run Derby. According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. offered the Pirates outfielder tips on how to approach the competition.

Few sluggers are more qualified to give HR Derby advice than Guerrero. The All-Star first baseman stole the show when hitting a record 91 home runs in 2019. Although he lost that year’s event to Pete Alonso, Guerrero won in 2023 with 72 total long balls, the fifth-most in Derby history.

Olney noted that Guerrero also consulted Teoscar Hernandez before the Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder won last year. Guerrero encouraged the right-handed hitter to pull the ball less in favor of swinging toward left-center field.

Perhaps Guerrero gave similar advice to Cruz, who enters Atlanta as a betting favorite because of his prolific batted-ball data. Guerrero certainly didn’t have to tell Cruz to hit the ball with authority, as he possesses MLB’s highest average exit velocity (96.3 mph) while matching Shohei Ohtani for the hardest hit speed on fly balls and live drives (100.3 mph).

Yet the right strategy will only matter if the pitcher cooperates. Pirates assistant coach Stephen Morales, Cruz’s translator and frequent batting practice pitcher, will throw to Cruz on Monday night.

Olney said Cruz and Morales have undergone “extensive preparation” for the Home Run Derby. The former MLB catcher has a game plan, saying the Pirates slugger likes the ball “right down the middle” or “maybe a little closer to him.”

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