This spring, the Pittsburgh Pirates are faced with a plethora of questions. Who will fill out their starting rotation? Which prospects will make the big league club? How will Oneil Cruz respond after fracturing his ankle last April?
While some of these questions will take almost the entirety of spring training to reach their anticipated conclusion, Cruz has left no doubt that he is ready to go.
On Wednesday, the 25-year-old shortstop took Chris Bassitt of the Blue Jays deep in the top of the sixth inning with a solo shot that scurried out of the park at 104.9 miles per hour. With the blast, his fifth of the spring, the slugger has now hit a home run in four consecutive exhibition contests. That mark is enough to place him atop the league in long balls this spring.