With Cruz sidelined, Mangum contributed massively in his own way

PITTSBURGH -- At 30 years old, Jake Mangum had not received an opportunity quite like this one. The Mets' 2019 fourth-round pick took five Minor League seasons to make the Majors, debuting for the Rays in 2025.

After joining Pittsburgh in an offseason trade from Tampa Bay, Mangum became an everyday player in his second season due to unfortunate circumstances. Star center fielder Oneil Cruz hit the injured list on June 10 with fourth and fifth metacarpal non-displaced fractures on his left hand. It was Mangum’s time to shine.

“Just needed to help the team win baseball games,” Mangum told MLB.com. “Really simple as that. Next man up mentality. It's what we've done all year.”

Cruz was activated from the 60-day IL on Monday after missing 58 games, during which Pittsburgh went 26-32. Mangum still started in center field in the 8-5 loss to the Tigers to open a three-game set.

Mangum relished the ability to play consistently in the big leagues, entering Monday batting .300 while performing largely out of the leadoff spot and becoming the Pirates’ nominee for the Heart & Hustle Award. While Mangum won’t be in center field as much with Cruz easing back in, Pirates manager Don Kelly expects Mangum to still play plenty in center and left.

“It's nice to be in rhythm. You're in rhythm with a game,” Mangum said. “When you're in that fourth outfield role, it's challenging to stay locked in every day. You feel like you need to work pregame to stay ready for the game, but then you're sore when you go into the game later that night. Playing every day allows you to get into a rhythm for sure. It's a challenging thing to come in off the bench in this league and get one at-bat.”

Mangum’s style of play couldn’t be more different than Cruz’s. He grinds through each at-bat, slapping the ball around the field any way he can to gain an advantage with his 5-foot-11 stature.

Cruz, at 6-foot-7, moves nonchalantly through the motions, using his God-given power and speed to change the game like few others can in the world. From the day Cruz went down, Mangum didn’t try to be anyone but himself.

“Jake Magnum can't go in and try to hit a ball into the river,” Kelly said on June 24. “Maybe if you got a hold of it on the right day with the wind, yes, he's got power. But he can't go out there trying to do that."

Teammate Brandon Lowe, who came over with Mangum and reliever Mason Montgomery in that December trade, remembers first seeing Mangum in Spring Training before reaching the big leagues.

Lowe saw his style of play and knew he’d quickly make the Majors.

“He's not trying to appease anybody in a metric fashion or anything like that. He's going out there and he knows what his game is,” Lowe said. “It's 110% at all times. If he's got 80% that day, he's going to give you 90. I feel like there's no throttle. There's no governor on Jake. He's going to give you everything that his body can give you all the time.”

With Mangum grinding his way through as an everyday player in a 162-game marathon for the first time, his body has held up. Mangum feels this is the best his body has felt in mid-August at any point in his professional career, a credit he gives to Pittsburgh’s weight room and training staff. Mangum has also taken on less prep work before games to keep his legs fresh.

Cruz was on pace for a 40-homer, 60-steal season. By no means was Mangum coming close to that production.

On a night like Monday, when the Pirates were down 8-1 after six innings, Mangum made mayhem. He walked twice and scored both times. In the eighth with the Pirates down three, Mangum crashed down the first-base line in an attempt to beat out an infield grounder but came less than an inch short.

Mangum has held his ground his way. Now, he hopes the Pirates can take off with the return of the Cruz missile.

“It's not a great way for an opportunity to present itself, but once that day came, it is what it is. I tried to play to the best of my ability, and we need him back,” Mangum said. “He's a special player who has a great chance to impact baseball games with one swing, and him coming back hopefully helps us win more baseball games.”