PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) –GM Ben Cherington said Sunday Pirates teammates and staff are rallying around Oneil Cruz after the mistakes he made on Opening Day. Cherington said Cruz didn’t have to be told he screwed up, he knows it’s about what is next.
“I happen to know the level of work he put in both in the Dominican and then when he moved to Florida,” Cherington said on the Pirates Insider Show on 93.7 The Fan and the Pirates Radio Network. “The amount of time he was spending on the physical preparation, but also specifically his defensive game.”
Cherington said Cruz worked not only with Pirates staff during the offseason, but also those outside of the Pirates. Much of that work came in the Dominican Republic, he spent time with Vladimir Guerrero’s uncle working on hitting left-handed pitchers.
Thursday, he badly misplayed a ball in the first inning turning and what should have been an out turned into a three-run triple and then lost a pop-up in the sun that cost starter Paul Skenes. While most players had sunglasses that afternoon, Cruz did not.
“He wants to execute those plays,” Cherington told Pirates Insider Jason Mackey. “He wants to play really well. He wants to be great and help the team win. 100%. What do you do about it is the critical sauce.”
He added their job as staff and teammates is to rally around him. He said good teams keep their energy even when things don’t go your way. It’s about learning and moving to the next day.
Cherington also believes Cruz was hurt by playing in the World Baseball Classic.
“The WBC was a blessing and a challenge,” Cherington said on the Pirates Radio Network and 93.7 The Fan. “It was important for him to play. We wanted to support that as we do with other players. We felt like it was important for him to be in that environment, be around other great Dominican players, learn from that. That was the benefit, we think.”
“At the same time, he didn’t get to play a lot of outfield in the WBC because of the roster. So, he goes three weeks without playing a lot of outfield. That’s not an excuse, it’s just a fact. We have to make up for that now.”
Following a day off, Cruz did wear sunglasses in the outfield Sunday at roughly the same starting time as Thursday. He also had a line-drive hit off a left-handed pitcher.
Cherington believes that progress will continue.
LISTEN to Ben Cherington discuss Cruz, Konnor Griffin and more
