“Oneil Cruz next year could be the number one center fielder" – Ex-MLB slugger predicts huge leap with offseason focus and elite athleticism

Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Oneil Cruz has all the tools to become one of the best players in baseball. While he still needs to put it all together, Cruz has proven himself to be one of the most dynamic players in baseball thanks to his combination of power and speed.

According to Statcast, Oneil Cruz ranks among the top players in Major League Baseball when it comes to average exit velocity, bat speed, arm strength, and sprint speed. However, he also ranks among the worst players in the league when it comes to strikeout percentage, whiff rate and chase rate.

All that being said, the pieces of a superstar are there, which is something that former St. Louis Cardinals utilityman Eduardo Perez spoke about during an interview on MLB Network Radio. Perez believes that the former shortstop turned centerfielder could shoot up the outfield rankings this season after being ranked 8th in the league by MLB.

"Oneil Cruz, next year, could be the number one centerfielder on this list. That's how talented he is. He moved from shortstop to centerfield, he could be the number one guy on this list because of his athletic ability to go out there," Perez said of Cruz's move to the outfield.

Last season, before Oneil Cruz made the move to the outfield, he committed a whopping 24 errors at shortstop in 112 games. However, in the 23 games he played in centerfield, his fielding percentage went up as he committed only two errors. Perez believes that having an entire offseason dedicated to training at centerfield could pay dividends for the Pirates star.

"Now he's had an entire offseason to work on the craft in centerfield but the bat, the electric, the fast-twitch, everything about Oneil Cruz, probably the strongest exit velocity out of all of the centerfielders," Perez continued.

Oneil Cruz set the MLB record for the hardest-hit ball in history

Eduardo Perez's praise could be seen as someone who is simply a fan of the talent, however, the numbers back up his words about Cruz's power. In 2022, the Pittsburgh Pirates star set the MLB record for the hardest-hit baseball in history, smashing the ball at 122.4 mph, surpassing New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton.

It's clear that the raw power is there in Cruz's bat, now it is just a matter of turning it into consistent production at the plate. The 26-year-old could put up massive numbers for the Pirates this season if he can improve his plate vision and ability to capitalize on his extreme power.