PITTSBURGH -- Oneil Cruz heard the two other names on the elite list he just joined and smiled, pausing for 10 seconds before speaking his mind.
Barry Bonds and Andrew McCutchen are as good as it gets for Pirates royalty. On Sunday against the Royals, Cruz joined them to become just the third player in franchise history to have 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in three straight seasons. His solo shot off Michael Wacha in the fourth brought his home run total to 20, despite missing over two months on the injured list.
“It means a lot,” Cruz said through interpreter Stephen Morales. “Just to be part of that list with those two legends of Pittsburgh baseball, it means a lot to me. It's a privilege.”
Cruz's homer helped the Pirates in their 4-3 victory over Kansas City to sweep the Royals. Pittsburgh, which also notched its fourth straight win, is 79-77 with six games to play.
Cruz has played in just 93 games this season after suffering fractures in his left hand. He was on pace for 34 home runs and 48 stolen bases, which would’ve blown his 20 home runs and 38 steals from last season out of the water.
Bonds’ first MVP season in 1990, when he tallied 33 homers and 52 steals, is the only 30-40 campaign in Pirates history. Cruz isn’t quite there yet, but he’s gotten as close as any Pirate has been.
“He's had an unbelievable year, and I think we've talked about it in a lot of different ways that it stood out,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “The way that he's grown, being able to separate the offense and defense, play through injuries, play through discomfort and to get to 20-20 in 93 games while dealing with what he's dealt with. He worked extremely hard, specifically against left-hand pitching. But overall this offseason put him in a great spot, and [he] has followed up with an outstanding year.”
Admittedly, Cruz hasn’t felt 100% since returning from the injured list on Aug. 17. Though you wouldn’t notice, as he’s shown off in his return with a slash line of .318/.407/.533 (.940 OPS), three doubles, a triple, six home runs, 23 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 29 games.
Cruz continues to evolve as a player in his age-27 season, adjusting to the outfield and attempting to stay on the field with his 6-foot-7 frame.
“You learn every time. This year, not an exception,” Cruz said. “I learned a lot this year. Also, the conversations with the players that have been around Major League Baseball before in the clubhouse, [I] put [their] advice in play. It helps a lot.”
Sunday’s matchup with Wacha was another chance for Cruz to prove his trademark power. He was served a 75.2 mph curveball down the middle of the plate and blasted it a Statcast-projected 420 feet to straightaway center field.
While Cruz's latest blast came off a righty in Wacha, his improvements with consistency have aligned largely with his at-bats against left-handed pitching. He’s batting .323 and slugging .849 with four homers off lefties in 2026, a drastic jump from his .102 batting average, .400 OPS and one homer off southpaws last year.
The Pirates are 52-41 with Cruz this year, and 27-36 without him. A full season of Cruz would’ve been one for even more record books.
“There's a lot of pressure when he's up at bat,” Kelly said. “Because he can change a game in one swing and go deep, or he has the ability to hit a triple, get on base, steal bases. The pressure that he creates for the other team ... there aren't many guys like that.”