Tag Archives: Oneil Cruz

Tampa Bay Rays Slugger Junior Caminero to Compete in MLB’s Home Run Derby

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Junior Caminero is ready to come out swinging…

The 22-year-old Dominican professional baseball infielder for the Tampa Bay Rays, who leads all American League third basemen in home runs, said Wednesday that he’ll take part in the Home Run Derby on Monday in Atlanta.

Junior Caminero“I’m going to put on a show. I’m going to try to put on a show just to give the fans the opportunity to get to know me, see my power,” Caminero said before Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Tigers. “Just being there with all those other [MLB] All-Stars, it’s going to be something very special.”

Caminero followed that up by hitting his 22nd home run of the season in the seventh inning of Wednesday’s game. He is batting .254 with 58 RBIs in 87 games this season.

He is the sixth contestant for the Home Run Derby, joining Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves, Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals, Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins and Oneil Cruz of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

MLB still has to name two more contestants to fill out the field of eight sluggers.

Caminero was chosen as a replacement for the MLB All-Star Game earlier this week as a substitute for the Boston Red Sox‘s injured Alex Bregman.

Caminero will be the fourth Tampa Bay player to compete in the Home Run Derby, joining Evan Longoria (2008), Carlos Pena (2009) and Randy Arozarena (2023).

Pittsburgh Pirates Star Oneil Cruz to Compete in the MLB’s Home Run Derby

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It’s batter up for Oneil Cruz. 

The 26-year-old Dominican professional baseball center fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates, who made headlines over the weekend for an inspiring high-speed throw, has accepted an invitation o compete in Monday’s Home Run Derby in Atlanta.

Oneil CruzCruz is the fifth player to commit to the competition, held one day before the MLB All-Star Game.

The others are Ronald Acuna Jr. of the Atlanta Braves, Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals and Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins.

“I’m really, really happy just because that’s what I do,” Cruz said ahead of Tuesday night’s game at Kansas City. “I like to hit balls far. I think I’m going to enjoy it a lot.”

Cruz, 26, is known for having a powerful bat and regularly delivers some of the hardest-hit homers.

His home run May 25 at home against the Milwaukee Brewers had an exit velocity of 122.9 mph and was the hardest-hit homer in the 10-year Statcast era. 

But Cruz has never hit more than 21 in a season, and that was in 2024. He’s on track to set a high this year and has 15 in 80 games.

“They’ve been trying to get me in the Home Run Derby for the last couple years, but last year, I was coming back from an ankle injury and was not feeling that good at that time,” Cruz said. “But I’m in a good spot right now.”

Cruz has 55 career homers in 324 games with the Pirates.

Cruz will be the first Pittsburgh player to participate in the Derby since Josh Bell in 2019.

Other Pirates to be part of the event were Bobby Bonilla (1990), Barry Bonds (1992), Jason Bay (2005), Andrew McCutchen (2012) and Pedro Alvarez (2013).

“Oh, man, I can’t wait to see him hit down there,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “He’s going to make Atlanta look small after seeing him hit [batting practice] down there last year and the year before. Just really excited for him and the opportunity he’s got to go be a part of that.”

Overall, Cruz is batting just .203 this season but leads the National League with 28 steals.

Among the players to turn down an invite to the eight-player field are two-time champion Pete Alonso of the New York Mets, Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies and 2024 runner-up Bobby Witt Jr. of the Kansas City Royals.

Defending champion Teoscar Hernandez of the Los Angeles Dodgers recently turned down a spot as a consideration to nagging injuries.

Top power threats Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees and Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers also are expected to skip the event.

Oneil Cruz Nabs Runner at Home Plate with Incredible 105.2 MPH Throw

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Oneil Cruz is armed and dangerous…

The 26-year-old Dominican professional baseball center fielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates made a 105.2 mph throw to nab the Seattle Mariners‘ J.P. Crawford at the plate on Sunday, the second-hardest thrown ball to produce an outfield assist since Statcast started tracking in 2015.

Oneil Cruz“It was unbelievable, honestly, one of the best plays that I’ve seen live,” Pirates interim manager Don Kelly said. “To be able to make that going that way and across his body and throw back to home as accurate as it was, just an amazing play.”

It was one of few highlights for the Pirates, who were shut out by Seattle for a third straight game, losing 1-0.

The fastest throw from the outfield that produced an out in Major League Baseball‘s Statcast era was 105.5 mph by Aaron Hicks of the New York Yankees in 2016.

Cruz’s throw was the fastest of any kind by a Pirates outfielder. The one-hopper to the plate came as a surprise to Crawford, who did not slide on the play.

With one out in the first inning, the Mariners’ Jorge Polanco lined a single to left-center off All-Star right-hander Paul Skenes. Cruz ranged to his right, fielded it and threw on a line toward catcher Henry Davis.

The ball bounced directly into Davis’ mitt and he made the tag, much to Skenes’ surprise as he backed up the play behind the plate.

“Yeah, I had the best seat in the house. That was unbelievable,” said Skenes, who struck out 10 in five scoreless innings. “Henry played it perfectly, too. It feels lucky, but I know Henry and Oneil created luck for me there.”

The 6-foot-7 Cruz was already a Statcast hero of sorts.

In May, he had the hardest-hit ball since Statcast started tracking, a home run at PNC Park that left the bat at 122.9 mph and splashed into the Allegheny River.

Oneil Cruz Switching Positions with Pittsburgh Pirates

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Oneil Cruz is switching positions…

The 25-year-old Dominican professional baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates is switching positions, moving from shortstop to center field.

Oneil Cruz Cruz is likely to be the designated hitter for the three-game series against the Chicago Cubs that starts on Monday night.

He’ll go through pregame workouts during the early part of the week before likely making his center-field debut sometime during a three-game weekend series at Cleveland.

The 6-foot-7 Cruz has made only one appearance in the outfield since breaking into the major leagues late in the 2021 season.

He played one inning in left field in 2022.

Cruz became the tallest shortstop in Major League Baseball history when he made his debut on Oct. 2, 2021.

“It’s something that we’ve been talking about,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said of the position change before Monday night’s game. “It’s not something we took lightly. He’s an unbelievable athlete. We feel that [center field] is probably the best position for him and for the Pirates.”

Cruz has been charged with 24 errors this season in 112 games, including 12 in his past 28 games. He is hitting .265 with 18 home runs and 17 stolen bases.

In last place in the National League Central, the Pirates are trying to get a jump on 2025.

“We wanted to make sure that we had a runway of games going into next year, for that to be important,” Shelton said. “Excited to see him out there. This kid is a dynamic athlete. With the way that we’re set up now, I feel that’s the best thing for us.”

Veteran infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa is expected to get the bulk of starts at shortstop for the remainder of the season. The Pirates acquired him from Toronto in a July 30 trade and he is signed through 2025 as part of a two-year, $15 million contract with the Blue Jays.

The Pirates also made four roster moves on Monday — second baseman Nick Gonzales (left groin strain) was activated from the 10-day injured list, catcher Joey Bart (strained left hamstring) was placed on the 10-day IL, catcher Henry Davis was recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis and right-hander Jake Woodford was designated for assignment.

Rookie right-hander Jared Jones is expected to be activated from the 15-day IL to start Tuesday night against the Cubs. He has been out since July 4 with a strained right lat.

Pittsburgh Pirates Rookie Oneil Cruz Records hardest-hit ball in Seven Years MLB Has Measured Exit Velocity

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Oneil Cruz is striking hot…

The 23-year-old Dominican professional baseball player and Pittsburgh Pirates rookie recorded the hardest-hit ball in the seven years that Major League Baseball has measured exit velocity, lashing a single that came off the bat at 122.4 mph in a 14-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday.

Oneil CruzCruz stepped in to face Braves starter Kyle Wright with one on and two outs in the third when he turned on a 91 mph fastball and smashed it off the 21-foot-high Clemente Wall in right field.

New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton previously had the record for the hardest-hit ball, reaching 122.2 mph in 2017 and again last year. MLB began tracking the metric in 2015.

“At the moment, I didn’t even think I hit the ball that hard,” said Cruz. “When I came into the dugout, some of my teammates shared with me that I hit it 122 (mph). I smiled but deep down inside I was like, ‘Wow, I really hit that ball hard.’ Now, finding out that I broke a record, it means a lot to me. That’s something positive to take away from today’s game.”

Cruz initially thought the ball would clear the fence. Instead, it caromed to Atlanta right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. and Cruz had no shot at extra bases. Acuna might have had an outside shot to get Cruz at first if first baseman Matt Olson had been covering the bag.

“To be honest with you, I did think it was going to go out but I did notice that it was starting to go down and about to hit the fence, that’s when I started running even harder,” Cruz said. “But I did expect it to go out. I didn’t expect it to hit the wall and come right back.”

The Pirates are in the midst of a massive overhaul, one that is relying on the 6-foot-6 Cruz. He made a brief cameo at the end of last season before arriving in the majors to stay on June 20. He’s batting .199 with 10 homers and 30 RBIs.

Despite his early struggles, Cruz’s tools have impressed Atlanta manager Brian Snitker, who said he’s glad the ball hit the wall instead of going over it, where it might have hurt someone.

Cruz has been a Statcast darling since his debut. The shortstop made the hardest recorded assist by an infielder on July 14 when he fired the ball across the diamond at 97.8 mph.

“He’s got skills, my God,” Snitker said. “You start grading tools and it’s off the charts, you know, for a big guy. I mean, that’s going to be fun to watch.”

 

Oneil Cruz Optioned to Minor League’s Triple-A Indianapolis

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Oneil Cruz will start the upcoming baseball season in the minor league…

The 23-year-old Dominican professional baseball shortstop and third baseman, a top Pittsburgh Pirates prospect  will start the season in the minors.

Oneil Cruz

Cruz, ranked as ESPN insider Kiley McDaniel‘s No. 13 prospect, was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Tuesday.

A towering, 6-foot-7 shortstop, Cruz put together a solid spring training, going 5-for-15 with two home runs in Grapefruit League play, but manager Derek Shelton said the team believes Cruz needs a little more experience before being called up for good. Cruz hit a home run in October during a brief big league cameo.

“It was a development decision,” Shelton said. “There’s still room for development and still things that we feel he can maximize on.”

Cruz played 63 games at Double-A Altoona and six with Indianapolis before being called up to the majors at the end of last season. Shelton pointed to that lack of experience as one of the reasons to send Cruz down.

“We feel that he’s going to have a major impact on the Pirates,” Shelton said. “But right now, we feel like there’s things for him to do moving forward [in Indianapolis] that’s going to help us win games.”