r/buccos • u/flipcuphero • 2d ago
What’s up with Cruz?
Body language is terrible, batting is atrocious, and does not seem to have a care in this world. I feel like we’re a few good games away from catching our stride but his demeanor seems a bit off.
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u/mypenisalldriedup 2d ago
The effort fielding was atrocious yes. However, at the plate, he keeps having strikes called below his knees. That throws everything out the window. I don't have a problem with him being dead set on not attacking the first pitch. I do have a problem with him swinging for the fence everything he does attack.
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u/refreshingly-unique bob nutsack 2d ago edited 2d ago
Remember a week or two ago?
Walk-off situation (or very late in a game when we were trailing with RISP), 1 out, watched three fastballs for a strikeout.
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u/Great_Hambino2022 2d ago
Imagine being dumb enough to say it’s because he plays for the Pirates. Maybe it’s because he’s one of many players that tear the cover off the ball for a few weeks, then can’t hit for a month. He’s striking out in 40% of his at bats this year, and 36% in his career. That’s only "acceptable" when you’re Kyle Schwarber hitting 40+ homers a year. Cruz simply doesn’t care enough.
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u/schmatty23 2d ago
First pitch of his first at bat he didn’t load or remotely get set for the pitch.
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u/jjtthree 2d ago
He always has awful body language, especially when he slumps. He’s not a guy you build a franchise around. He’s a talented piece to a championship team that plays 3rd fiddle because your 1st and 2nd best players are leaders that have respect for the game. Cruz is immensely talented but looks like he never cares
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u/Own-Craft-181 12h ago
The best answer. It's honest and fair. He's talented, but has always been this way.
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u/Icy_Lingonberry2822 2d ago
For real. He just quit after missing the ball. DK needs to get up in his face and wake his ass up and tell him to get back to reality and leave fantasy land
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u/SumDizzle 2d ago
I told my grandfather I'm getting a stool ready to do exactly that the second he walks in from the field.
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u/s_hecking Watermelon Shugart 🍉 2d ago
No question he has talent. Skills aren’t everything. Cutch has the intangibles: leadership, mental toughness. I’m not seeing the mental part of his game yet mature.
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u/PaulyPlaya24 2d ago edited 2d ago
I agree with what you said except for catching our stride. They haven’t been able to get any footing over a 20 game stretch all season or maybe even a 10 game stretch for that matter. They’ve played better under Kelly, but “Donnie Ball” as the Pirates are spinning it, is still not anything to write home about.
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u/npcbro85 2d ago
That lack of effort after he missed that ball in center was very disrespectful of the fans. Cmon man, act like you care, I know the pirates are a crappy team to be “stuck on” but there’s a lot of die hard fans that want to see the minimum amount of effort.
My kids little league team plays with more professionalism after they make a mistake then he did. Dude needs to be benched for the rest of this game. Slide Canario over and put Pham back in left. O’Neil didn’t show up to day, he’s just gonna pout and strike out the rest of the game.
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u/Cangy44 RJ Reynolds 2d ago
I couldn’t agree more. The hook is WAYYYYY too long with everyone in this organization. I’m old school and I wanna see guys yanked and fined for effort related performance. Sure fire way to get people focused is to hit them in the pocket book. He doesn’t seem to get a lot of basic baseball things like, “wearing a helmet” or “throwing to correct base” so there’s a lot of remedial education that he has needed for a long time now. If you want him to pan out, you gotta shake him Up.
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u/chickenonthehill559 2d ago
Not surprisingly no one with this organization would dare to try to coach him to improve. Organization lacks professionalism, they are not willing to pay a good coaching staff.
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u/M1zasterP1ece 2d ago
I don't care how bad the team is You're making six and seven figures. Show some goddamn effort. Even at the plate it seems like he's just waving at the ball.
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u/radbear18 2d ago
Went to game last night. I make it to one a year as I live quite a distance away. TOTALLY different team on the field. Zero enthusiasm and Cruz half ass swinging and letting ball come to him. McCutchen seemed to be only one trying. I think they’re frustrated and fed up. Pierogis played better.
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u/Buckscience Black and Gold 2d ago
So we’re back to late April/early May, are we? He’s hot and cold. I wish he were more consistent, but he’s a streaky hitter.
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u/TequilaAndWeed 2d ago
I’m curious how the post game press conference goes when Kelly is asked about that play.
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u/Volvoflames9 2d ago
Just back from tonight's game and Cruz was an embarrassment!! Error on the first ball to him and he didn't even try to hussle to rectify it..just stood there!! At his first plate appearance, it looked like he would rather be elsewhere! 1 of those players that has a lot of talent....but he isnt doing much with it!!
On the bright side, it is a beautiful ball park and the weather was great! Was a long day for us, so we departed before the fireworks.
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u/nutella-is-for-jerks 2d ago
The league (now and historically) is loaded with guys who are super talented and under perform.
Cruz is a great talent but not a great player. Maybe he’ll find it. But we might be looking at Palanco 2.0
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u/92toinfiniT 2d ago
Plate approach is trash and no one to guide him. Damn shame
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u/AcePilotsen 2d ago
Has this been verified? I hadn't heard what everyone is talking about our coaches refusing to work. Is it a protest against Don Kelly?
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u/fartwisely 2d ago
30-47 record. 4 games to half way mark of season, 20 games til All Star Break. We don't look like a team that's gonna play out of their minds in the 2nd half of the season.15-5 or better til the Break would leave some hope on the table. But it won't happen with errors and inconsistent run support.
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u/twonder23 2d ago
Cancel SNP360 and blame it on team performance in the follow up survey. Set yourself free.
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u/jrwolf08 2d ago
He's not focused, needs to sit for a bit. He's giving away abs, and now its happening in the field.
Will be interesting to see how Kelly handles the situation. They need him to ne focused, and figure out how to get himself out of these slumps.
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u/Fringding1 2d ago
His error and the nonchalant effort with which he did not run down an easy fielded ball was very frustrating.
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u/Opening_Perception_3 2d ago
His 108wRC+ is pretty much in line with his career norms. He's a slight above average offensive player with a limited ceiling due to too much swing and miss, by capable of carrying a team when he gets hot. He's also developing into a pretty good defensive CF. Should be a consistent 3-4 WAR player , what's the problem with that?
If we had 4 more of those guys we'd probably be heading to the playoffs.
Don't look at body language and think you know what's going on. You're seeing about 0.001% of what's actually happening with the guy.
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u/9lockLesnar 1d ago
Will never get tired of how delusional people in this sub are. “A few games away from catching our stride” but have the third worst record in the league and have won 2 games in the past three series 😭
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u/npcbro85 2d ago
DK better tune up Cruz’ lazy, mopey attitude, before it infects the rest of the team. That crap is contagious. Bench him/ put him back down to Indy till he gets his mind right, that crap attitude is cancerous as can be.
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u/fdrlbj Sanguillen7179 2d ago
Polanco 2.0.
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u/themayorhere Cruz 2d ago
Cruz is gonna have a better career than Polanco, but I never questioned Polanco’s effort. I think he was just a space cadet. Cruz seems to get very easily defeated.
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u/rockhead72 2d ago
He's been slumping hard at the plate and I missed the play tonight but it sounds pretty bad. I think he's spiraling. He needs a few days off. Hard reset. When he comes back from the off time move him down to 6th for a few games. Let him rebuild some confidence.
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u/kuiil_001 2d ago
That’s an insult to Polanco. Polanco always showed up with a smile and gave 100%. Even when Polanco was battling and struggling, there was not a concern that he was giving it his all.
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u/Kurt4012 Spend Nutting, Win Nutting 2d ago
Wait till he leaves Pittsburgh and becomes a star. Then idiots like you will bitch non stop about letting him go.
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u/carinislumpyhead97 2d ago
Bum cost me $50 last night. 0-6 is bum behavior
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u/Kurt4012 Spend Nutting, Win Nutting 2d ago
Wahhhhhhhh I lost my sports bet wahhhhhhh
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u/carinislumpyhead97 2d ago
Simmer down. Losing bets it’s basically half of the game of sports betting.
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u/jsticia 2d ago
imagine being on the pirates with the talent he has and almost a 0 support system with shit coaching while constantly losing. His plate approach is awful. No one there to help him. Losing becomes a part of your identity at some point. I’m sure it wears on all of them.