PITTSBURGH -- Pirates manager Don Kelly knows what it’s like to replace a star. Across his six years with the Tigers, Kelly took two-time American League MVP Miguel Cabrera’s place in the infield at times.
“If I were a fan buying a ticket for a game, I would've been pissed that I was in there and not Miggy,” Kelly joked.
Kelly’s club faces a similar predicament with star center fielder Oneil Cruz. The 6-foot-7 Cruz hit the injured list on June 8 with non-displaced fractures of the fourth and fifth metacarpal on his left hand. Before his injury, Cruz was on pace for 40 home runs and 60 stolen bases, which would’ve made him the second 40-60 player in MLB history after Ronald Acuña Jr. had 41 homers and 73 steals in 2023.
In the three weeks since Cruz’s injury, Pittsburgh has replenished his production through multiple depth pieces. Jake Mangum has played nearly every day in center field, batting .328 since June 10. Tyler Callihan and Esmerlyn Valdez have added power in the corners. The duo combined for five RBIs to help the Pirates to a 9-4 win over the Reds on Sunday to avoid the sweep.
“You can't go in there and try to replace Oneil,” Kelly said. “Other guys throughout the lineup have power, and certainly don't want them going up there just trying to hit homers because Oneil is not in there. I think we've done a good job of staying within ourselves, and have been doing well, really well offensively. And we've got some areas that we can grow, like we saw today.”
While becoming the SEC hit king during his four seasons at Mississippi State, Mangum doesn’t pack quite the punch as Cruz. He’s turned the game simple by hoping to win each at-bat.
“I’ve hit my whole life,” Mangum said. “It’s kind of what I've always done… hit. So, I'm not shocked by it, but this is a hard game.”
Callihan said Mangum has turned into the captain of the outfield, using his "Mangum magic" or "Mangum mayhem" to produce at the plate.
Kelly acknowledged that Mangum, who has four career homers, can’t hit one into the Allegheny River like Cruz, but he finds a way to impact the game with balls in play and his relentless speed. Callihan, on the other hand, surely can reach the water.
The utility man, who has already played six positions since debuting for the Pirates on May 28, cleared the deck against Shohei Ohtani for his first MLB homer. On Sunday, Callihan played in left field, and he built a 4-0 lead in the second with a three-run homer over the right-field stands.
Callihan didn’t begin playing in the outfield until 2024 with the Reds in the Minor Leagues. Cincinnati had Matt McLain and Elly De La Cruz already in the system and saw Callihan as a possible corner outfield option with a big bat. He worked on his skills further in the Arizona Fall League and played some left field when Austin Hays went down.
While finding more comfort in the position, Callihan knows he must play his game, not Cruz’s.
“He does something crazy every game,” Callihan said of Cruz. “He's a guy that you come to the game and you're gonna see something you've never seen before, whether it's him just running super fast or making a crazy throw or hitting a ball 120 miles an hour. Obviously, it's not something I'm gonna do, but I can try my best to get on base and make the plays I need to.”
Adding more pop in the outfield is the 22-year-old Valdez, who homered in all three games of the series and drove in two runs with a ground-rule double and a solo shot. Valdez’s latest shot was a Statcast-projected 461 feet. Both Callihan and Valdez singled and walked in the game to add on to their production.
Billy Cook adds some defense and speed, often used as a defensive replacement or pinch-runner. Bryan Reynolds’ 33-game on-base streak and power from both Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn have certainly helped, too.
Lowe leads all Major League second basemen in homers (20) and RBIs (56). O’Hearn homered twice on Sunday after making the move from right field to everyday first baseman with an injury to Spencer Horwitz.
Cruz’s rehab was moved to the team’s Spring Training facility in Bradenton, Fla., on Sunday, and he isn’t expected back until after the All-Star break. He’s virtually irreplaceable, but in the aggregate, Pittsburgh has found ways little by little. The performances by Callihan and Valdez on Sunday were the latest chapter.