As a 6-foot-7, 220-pound shortstop, the Pirates’ Oneil Cruz is one of the more fascinating young players in baseball. Just this year, Cruz has shown off his tremendous arm strength on multiple occasions and recently hit the hardest-batted ball in the Statcast era.
On Friday night, an accident on the part of Cruz almost made for a disaster on the road against the Phillies (-1.5). With Cruz up to bat against Bailey Falter in the top of the third inning, the 23-year-old shortstop went through what was supposed to be a routine swing at a Falter pitch.
