P2Daily: So, When Will Oneil Cruz Be in the Majors For Good?

How many times are we going to stand by and watch this happen?

How many times are we going to stand by and watch Oneil Cruz blast home runs off his shoelaces?

At what point do we stop and say that Oneil Cruz needs to be in the majors?

How many home runs will it take?

One?

Two?

Hear me out.

Three?

Can I finish?

Four?

Think about the implications of this.

This is a 6-foot-7 hitter who is blasting home runs an inch off the ground. Unless you roll the ball to the plate, you can’t pitch low to him. You can’t pitch high to him, because a high fastball to anyone else is right in his sweet spot.

With highly dynamic players like Cruz, there’s always some concern that the dreamt upon high upsides will dissipate and reveal a bust. The fear that we were staring at those monster home runs for so long, ignoring the red flags in between. Cruz might have some red flags, but at this point it’s fair to question if the positives far outweigh the negatives.

What would Oneil Cruz need to do to make the Opening Day roster?

With the Pirates calling him up at the end of 2021, having him in the majors from Opening Day until the end of the season would put him on a path toward free agency following the 2027 season. If they kept him down a few weeks in April, they’d gain an extra year of control. That would also give them the excuse to give one last look to Kevin Newman and/or Cole Tucker at shortstop before Cruz arrived, hopefully for good.

Prospects will break your heart, and the huge, dynamic, looking like they’re once-in-a-lifetime players do the most damage. But let’s allow ourselves a chance to dream about the possibility that Oneil Cruz is indeed as dangerous of a hitter as we’ve witnessed in the small sample sizes against MLB pitching over the last year.

When do you think Cruz will be in the majors, and what are your expectations? Leave your thoughts below, and check out the latest Tuesday drop of Premium articles in the links below.