Cutch on pupil Cruz's ceiling: 'There isn't one'

This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf's Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BRADENTON, Fla. ¨C At the time, Andrew McCutchen didn¡¯t know what to make of the gesture. The Pirates were in Milwaukee in July 2022 when Oneil Cruz launched a home run to right-center, and as he crossed home, he gave a tip of the cap, the same way McCutchen does to punctuate his round-trippers.

McCutchen was with the Brewers that season, and he thought it was just a nod since they were sharing the field. He would later find out that Cruz had been giving cap tips after some homers in the Minors. This wasn¡¯t a one-time thing. He wanted a little McCutchen in his game.

¡°It¡¯s humbling to know that a guy of his caliber and talent looks up to a person like me when there¡¯s not many people ¨C literally or physically ¨C he¡¯s looking up to,¡± McCutchen said. ¡°It¡¯s humbling, and at the same time, it¡¯s cool.¡±

Today, Cruz and McCutchen are two of the top hitters in the Pirates¡¯ lineup, a young stud with seemingly limitless potential and the veteran franchise icon. Cruz has always shown a willingness, an excitement to work with veteran players. He and Tommy Pham talked in winter ball about how they wanted Pham to be in black and gold this year. Cruz did plenty of offseason work with former teammate Carlos Santana building up to 2025.

And Cruz wears his McCutchen admiration on his sleeve. On Wednesday, Cruz launched a home run on a pitch in the upper third of the zone, an area where he struggled to hit early in his career because of his 6-foot-7 frame. When asked about the strides he has made with hitting pitches there, Cruz first credited McCutchen¡¯s advice.

"[He] definitely means a lot to me,¡± Cruz said, ¡°Just to have a guy like him around me to pour all his information and his knowledge and his years in the big leagues to me and to some other teammates, just to have him around, is a big help because he's been through a lot of experiences in the big leagues. That helps us as we're starting to build a career in the big leagues, just to have a guy like him."

Sometimes the advice can be simple, and it just needs to come from the right person, like McCutchen telling Cruz he should be more selective at the plate. Other times it¡¯s stuff that only a fellow center fielder could know, like be careful with your diving attempts in April when the ground is still hard.

And then there¡¯s the advice that only a former MVP can give. McCutchen notices Cruz¡¯s gift to try something new and usually succeed with it quickly. He also knows that Cruz could just move onto the next idea if what he¡¯s working on doesn¡¯t translate immediately or hits a lull. Sometimes, being stubborn and sticking with something can be a good thing. McCutchen had to learn that the hard way, and he¡¯d like to help Cruz figure it out sooner than he did.

¡°He¡¯s seen my numbers in the past,¡± McCutchen said. ¡°[He¡¯s] like, ¡®I want to do that.¡¯ You can do that easy. And then him being able to understand and hear that from me being like, ¡®You can do that in your sleep, it¡¯s just a matter of you believing that you can do it and finding a way to do it and doing it in a way that works for you.¡¯

"I¡¯m trying to help him as much as I can because I understand he does look up to me and wants to learn from me, but I also know he¡¯s not going to just come up to me and ask. I¡¯ve got to do that for him.¡±

Part of the appeal of having McCutchen on the team is his veteran insight. He knows the game, and he knows when someone could be really special.

So it raises the question: What is Cruz¡¯s ceiling?

¡°There is none,¡± McCutchen said. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have one yet. You¡¯ve got Shohei Ohtani, he¡¯s in his own threshold being a pitcher and position player. He does things that people go, ¡®I¡¯ve never seen that done.¡¯ [Cruz] does the same stuff, stuff you¡¯ve never seen.

¡°He¡¯s working on an open space. He has no ceiling. He¡¯s building the foundation. Time will come when he knows what that is, and then the ceiling will start. As of right now, endless possibilities for him. I hope that¡¯s how he views it.¡±

¡°I want him to hit 100 homers,¡± McCutchen concluded. ¡°I feel like he can do it.¡±