Go Fish, Pittsburgh
If you teach a man to fish, you might end up feeding a prospect for life
Last season, the Pittsburgh Pirates were involved in a trade deadline deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Pirates dealt Tony Watson, a 32-year-old lefty out of the bullpen who had converted 10 saves through 47 games with Pittsburgh. In return, they received two minor leaguers, Angel German and Oneil Cruz.
German is a right handed reliever with the ability to throw 100 MPH. The stuff checks out, but the control is not always there. The flamethrower is currently in High-A ball with the Bradenton Marauders, where he’s worked 28 innings and is 0–2 with a 7.07 ERA.
Cruz, who just turned 19 back in October, remains in Charleston. He has an enormous ceiling and is the 11th-best prospect in the Pirates’ system, according to MLB.com, as well as Baseball America’s 100th overall prospect in baseball.
The shortstop was signed out of Bani in the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old in 2015 and, after a year in the DSL, jumped up to full season baseball in 2017. Between 2015 and 2017, Cruz grew like a weed. Starting at six feet tall, he finished the spurt at six feet and six inches.
“Playing baseball in America is completely different than playing in the Dominican Republic,” Cruz noted. “You get more at-bats and you need to have a lot more plate discipline. You need to be on top of your game 100 percent of the time, because, if you aren’t, you’re done.”
After the season ends in September for minor leaguers, most first-year players and many minor leaguers get sent to Fall Instructs. Instructs last about a month and are a time for young players to focus on the development of a few specific things in an environment that is different from their in-season grind.
In a 2016 interview with MLB.com, Larry Broadway, the Pirates’ Senior Director of Minor League Operations, said, “The biggest thing is assimilating them into the culture [of the Pirates’ organization].”
During instructs, the Pirates send their first-year players on a camping trip. This trip is meant to be a laid-back adventure where the future Buccos can bond away from the diamond.
When Cruz went to the camp, he already knew some of his current teammates, including Lolo Sanchez and Rodolfo Castro. However, he was placed in a group that did not include those two. The unfamiliar crew of minor leaguers was near the coast of Florida and took a fishing rod out to the water to pass some time.
Cruz, who taught himself to fish when he was eight years old, quickly started to get some nibbles. The prospect caught a few fish as conversation fluttered amongst the group that included current Power players Chris Sharpe, Ben Bengtson and Dylan Busby, but the journey did not end there.
When they had hooked a few fish, the shortstop brought them back to the fire by other players, gutted the game with a plastic knife and cooked it over the fire before some of the players indulged in the cuisine.
It was natural to him; “I love to fish. If I am near a river or a body of water, it’s what I want to do,” Cruz said.
According to a 1997 article from The Southern Regional Aquaculture Center, a bass, one of the most popular fish used for game, typically grows about a pound per year. A full-grown bass usually weighs about four and a half pounds.
There is a lot one has to do after catching a fish before it is safe to eat. Similarly, while Cruz has a ton of raw, natural talent, he still has work to do before he can be successful at a higher level.
“He has long levers and very strong wrists,” Power hitting coach Chris Petersen said. “Those attributes, added with his balance that allows him to increase his bat speed, essentially gives him a major league bat. That is what gives him a leg-up on everyone else in this league.”
These are just some of the traits that led the shortstop to the South Atlantic League’s Player of the Month honors in June 2018. Cruz had a 1.098 OPS in the month, tallying 15 extra-base hits in 25 games.
This year, Cruz has one of the top batting averages in the South Atlantic League. Since mid-May, it has hovered near or above .300, keeping him as one of the best bats in the Pirates’ system.
So what changed from 2017 to 2018 where his batting average has jumped more than 50 points and he has added 13 extra-base hits in 19 less games?
“His biggest improvements have come from refined balance and patience at the plate.” Petersen noted. “We had a talk about his approach during Spring Training, and that is something he has been working on.”
Cruz did not begin the season this hot from the plate though, posting a .215 April clip. However, his slow start to the year can be partially attributed to changing the size of his bat. Taking his recent change in height into account, the Pirates recommended that he move up from a 33.5-inch bat to a 34 or 35-inch piece of lumber. The change affected his balance and comfort level at the plate initially, but,as he has adjusted, it has allowed him to have more plate coverage and more leverage to barrel up on balls.
Cruz does not think that the Pirates are working any different with him than the Dodgers organization would have, but, he does believe “there is a lot more structure to the Pirates organization.” He has been utilizing this makeup to push himself to the next level.
The Pirates caught quite the player last July, and they have developed Cruz, one of the most talented bats in Minor League Baseball, into the trophy game of the South Atlantic League.
