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| Oneil Cruz | PIT - SS | ||||||||||||
| Bats: L | Age: 26 | Mixed 5x5: $25 | NL 5x5: $26 | |||||||||||
| 2024: SS:112 CF:23 | Mixed 2026: $28 | 2027: $30 | ||||||||||||
| Outlook: We finally got a healthy season from Cruz last year, and it was great. Yes, there are some swing-and-miss concerns with Cruz posting a 15.7% swinging strike rate and 66% contact rate overall. However, he also crushes the ball with a 99th-percentile average exit velocity and a 15.2% barrel rate. That should always lead to better power numbers and batting average than his contact profile would suggest. It’s also interesting that Cruz lowered his fly ball rate from 37% in the first half to 30% in the second half and saw his batting average rise from .246 to .277. Given his speed and hard-hit rates, perhaps lowering the fly ball rate will help prop his average up while keeping his power ceiling to around 20 homers. Regardless, Cruz contributes in all five categories and has dual position eligibility, so he’s a great pick going around the fourth round in fantasy leagues. | |||||||||||||
