You’re not going to find me saying that a player can’t play shortstop because of his size.
Then again, I’ve got a bit of a bias.
My favorite player growing up was Cal Ripken Jr., the 6′ 4″ gold glove winning shortstop who helped to take the position from “scrappy hitter, good defense” to the possibility of having a two-way MVP caliber player.
Ripken was also one of a kind. He was the only shortstop at 6′ 4″ or taller up until a few years ago. That’s when a few other 6-foot-4 guys entered the league, led by Carlos Correa and Corey Seager.
We’ve seen that a shortstop can be 6-foot-4. What about a guy who is 6-foot-7?
That’s the question that has been gaining more steam the closer Oneil Cruz gets to the majors. The Pirates acquired him in exchange for Tony Watson at the 2017 trade deadline when Cruz was a tall third baseman with questions of whether he’d stick in the infield.
Rather than moving him to the outfield, Cruz was moved to shortstop, which was an even more extreme and questionable assignment for a guy his height. The experiment hasn’t been a disaster though, and the closer Cruz gets to the majors, the more seriously you have to take his chances of at least spending time in the majors at the position.
While there are concerns about his height, Cruz looks smooth on the field at times. His athleticism and long legs allow him to cover a lot of ground, and a plus arm leaves no questions about whether he can make the throw from short.
While coming up with the Dodgers, Corey Seager had questions about whether he’d stick in the infield due to his height and slow first step. He’s done well playing deeper, and gets a lot of his value from his range.
A similar approach could help Cruz stick at the position. Playing deeper would give him more time to react, and his speed and long strides would allow him to make up for the deeper position.
There are two questions at play. The first is whether Cruz can stick at shortstop in the majors. I wouldn’t rule that out.
The bigger question is whether Cruz will be better defensively than Kevin Newman or Cole Tucker. It’s one thing to project defense from Cruz that is good enough to stick at shortstop in the majors. It’s another to project so much positive value from Cruz that he’d be better than Tucker and Newman, who I’d rate defensively in that order ahead of Cruz.
The Pirates have a few long-term needs. Shortstop is one of those, but it’s also a position where they have options. Newman already laid claim to the position last year, and it’s his job to lose. Tucker is the top challenger for the spot. Cruz is behind those two, unlikely to arrive in 2020 as a shortstop. The Pirates have other shortstop prospects in the lower levels, led by Liover Peguero and Ji-Hwan Bae.
Outfield is another long-term need, and there are fewer options for the two positions in question. Bryan Reynolds is holding down one of the spots right now, and he should have more breathing room than Newman in 2020 to repeat his performance.
So what do the Pirates do with Cruz’s defensive development? Do they keep him at shortstop, which is the position that provides Cruz the most potential value? Do they move Cruz to the outfield now to get his bat up sooner?
I think a lot of that should determine on the immediate development of Newman and Tucker ahead of him. The Pirates will need one of those players to step up as the long-term shortstop, and will need another player to emerge as a long-term second base option. If that middle infield combo is established during the 2020 season, it could allow the Pirates to move Cruz to the outfield.
If the Pirates do happen to have a long-term hole at one of the middle infield spots, I’m not sure I would move Cruz right now. It’s definitely intriguing to have his bat at the position, with hopes that his defense will at least provide close to neutral value. That’s far from a guarantee, which is why we shouldn’t be giving Cruz any defensive priorities like we’d do with Ke’Bryan Hayes at third base.
If anything, Cruz has shown that his size isn’t as prohibitive at the position as originally thought.
SONG OF THE DAY
DAILY QUIZ
RANDOM STUFF OF THE DAY
Blake Cederlind, K Strut
THIS DATE IN PIRATES HISTORY
By John Dreker
Six former Pittsburgh Pirates players born on this date, starting with the most recent first.
Joe Martinez, pitcher for the 2010 Pirates. He was a 12th round draft pick of the Giants in 2005, who made his Major League debut in 2009. Martinez went 3-2, 7.50 in nine games that season for the Giants, five as a starter. In his second game in the majors on April 9, 2009, he was hit in the head by a liner from Mike Cameron, which caused him to miss nearly half of the season. He spent most of the first four months of the 2010 season in the minors, pitching four games for the Giants over three separate stints with the team. At the July 31st trade deadline, he was sent to the Pirates, along with John Bowker, in exchange for relief pitcher Javier Lopez. Martinez first reported to Triple-A, then joined the Pirates when the rosters expanded in September, posting a 3.12 ERA in five relief appearances. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians after the season and pitched at Triple-A all of 2011. Martinez also pitched one game with the 2012 Diamondbacks and two games with the 2013 Indians.
George Kopacz, first baseman for the 1970 Pirates. He signed his first pro contract in 1960, yet prior to joining the Pirates he had just six games of Major League experience, all with the 1966 Atlanta Braves. Pittsburgh acquired him in July, 1969 in exchange for outfielder Shaun Fitzmaurice, who had nine big league games to his credit, all coming in 1966. In Triple-A in 1970, Kopacz hit .310 with 29 homers, 110 RBIs and 100 runs scored, winning the International League MVP and earning a September call-up. He went 3-for-16 in ten games, with two starts at first base and the rest as a pinch-hitter. He returned to the minors in 1971 and played three more seasons, the first two as a member of the Pirates organization.
Vic Janowicz, catcher for the Pirates in 1953-54. He was a Heisman winner in College at Ohio State, who the Pirates signed as a bonus baby. His high bonus amount meant that the Pirates had to keep him on their Major League roster for two full seasons before he could be sent to the minors or they would lose the rights to his contract. He saw limited playing time during his two seasons, despite the fact the Pirates lost over 100 games each year. He was a catcher during his first season, then saw most of his playing time in 1954 at third base. In 83 career games he hit .214 with two homers and ten RBIs. The Pirates released him after the 1954 season, and then he played two seasons in the NFL before a car accident ended his playing career.
Preacher Roe, lefty pitcher for the 1944-47 Pirates. He was originally signed by the Cardinals as an amateur free agent in 1938 and pitched one game in the majors that season. It would be six years later before he reached the majors again. On September 30, 1943 the Pirates sent two players and cash to the Cardinals for Roe. He had pitched the previous five seasons in the high level minors, getting into 150 games, 85 as a starter although he never topped 167 innings pitched. For the 1944 Pirates he went 13-11, 3.11 in 39 games (25 starts) with 185.1 innings pitched. He would win 14 games the following year, upping his innings pitched to 235, while throwing 15 complete games. He led the NL in strikeouts with a career high of 148 and his 2.87 ERA ranked sixth in the league. An off-season fight prior to 1946 led to a skull fracture that severely hampered his last two seasons in Pittsburgh. He went a combined 7-23 between 1946-47 with an ERA over 5.00 each season. In December 1947 he was traded to the Dodgers in a six-player deal. Roe would pitch seven seasons in Brooklyn, going 93-37 for a team that would make three World Series appearances during his time there.
Jack Hammond, second baseman for the 1922 Pirates. He first played minor league ball in 1909 before attending Colgate University. Hammond returned to the minors in 1914, then signed with the Indians, making their 1915 Opening Day roster out of Spring Training. In 35 games, he hit .214 with four runs batted in. He returned to the minors until 1922 when he again played for the Indians, this time for just one game in late April. Three weeks later the Pirates purchased his contract. Hammond was used sparingly in Pittsburgh, getting just two at-bats and five pinch-running appearances during his first month. Beginning on June 14, he started three straight games at second base, going 1-for-3 in each game, and he made every play hit his way in the field. Those games would be his last in the majors and he finished his playing career the next season in the minors. He is one of just 13 graduates of Colgate to ever play in the majors and out of that group, Hammond is the leader with 45 games played. His 13 runs scored are five more than the other 12 players scored combined. No Colgate graduate has played in the majors since the 1963 season.
Sam LaRocque, infielder for the Pirates/Allegehenys in 1890-91. He played in the minors from 1884 until 1907, getting in just three seasons of Major League experience along the way. He played his first two games in the majors in 1888 for the Detroit Wolverines, hitting .444 (4-for-9) but also making four errors. He next appeared with the 1890 Alleghenys, a team that would finish 23-113 on the season. LaRocque played 111 games that year, hitting .242 with 27 steals and 59 runs scored. In 1891 he played one game at third base, going 0-for-4 with two errors, before being released. He moved on to Louisville of the American Association later that season, where he hit .314 in ten games, which was his last time in the big leagues.
