Winter Ball Update: Gregory Polanco and O'Neil Cruz
Every year, some of the best players across professional baseball take their talents to the Dominican Republic. They participate in the Dominican Winter League where they get a chance to show off their skills and get some much-needed instruction. Two of the Pittsburgh Pirates players who are playing in the Dominican Winter League are Gregory Polanco and O'neil Cruz. Polanco struggled mightily in 2020, and Cruz is looking to bounce back after a pretty disastrous start to the off-season. Both players are looking to turn things around and the DWL gives them both a chance to improve their skills and get back on track.
Gregory Polanco plays for the Leones del Escogido while O'neil Cruz plays for the Gigantes del Cibao. For Polanco, the games will make up for at-bats that he lost during the last two seasons while he was spending time on the disabled list. He struggled in 2020 and came to the Pirates presenting the idea as a form to get better. For Cruz, winter ball serves two purposes for both development and as a distraction. While he spent time at the Pirates alternate site last season, he didn't get any live at-bats and hasn't since the 2019 season. He also needs a distraction after being part of a fatal car accident that killed three people. We update you on both player's progress as they play through the winter months.
Gregory Polanco: Leones del Escogido
Ever since signing his five-year 35 million dollar contract back prior to the 2017 season, Gregory Polanco has been one of the biggest disappointments for the Pirates. He has suffered through injuries and ineffectiveness that has kept him out of the Pirates lineup for a significant amount of time. Last season, he had to battle COVID-19 in the first week of the season, and when he came back, he just couldn't get into a rhythm. Last season, in 157 at-bats, Polanco hit just .153 with seven home runs and 22 RBI. It was nice to see that his power was still there, but his strikeouts were killing him as he went down an alarming 37.3% of the time on strikes. He appeared in 50 of the Pirate's 60 games and, with the DH presumably leaving the National League, he will have to work harder to get in the lineup every day.
That is when he came to Pirates management and proposed that he play in Winter Ball to make up for lost at-bats. He showed that he genuinely wanted to get better, and the Pirates front office took note of that and allowed him to participate. It was the first time since entering the Major Leagues back in 2014 that Polanco has participated in Winter Ball, and he is the only current Major League player competing. Polanco has missed so much time over the last two seasons between shoulder injuries, setbacks, and coming back potentially too early. He was looking to make up for lost time and get better results at the plate.
However, those results have been a little bit mixed for the 29-year-old outfielder. Entering play today, Polanco is hitting just .128 with two home runs and seven RBI in 11 games played. His power is definitely still there as of his five hits three have gone for extra-bases, one triple, and two home runs. However, he just isn't making contact on a consistent basis and his average is hurting because of it. The big thing that Polanco needed to work on was his strikeout rate and it has improved slightly. In 39 at-bats, Polanco has struck out 11 times and has a strikeout rate of 24.4%. That is a major improvement over his 37% from last season and shows he is making more contact. If Polanco can keep those strikeouts down and get his bat on the ball more, those balls will eventually start finding holes and he should have more success in 2021.
O'neil Cruz: Gigantes del Cibao
The 2020 season was an all-around disaster for infielder O'neil Cruz. At the start of the year, it looked like he was going to make his MLB debut sometime during the 2020 season, and a very good Spring Training gained him some momentum. However, when the season was shut down, it seemed to stop all the momentum he had built. He was sent to the Pirates alternate training site in Altoona. While he was getting this against his fellow Minor Leaguers, he never got the call to the Big Leagues and therefore didn't face live pitching. To make matters worse, after the alternate camp broke for the summer, Cruz was involved in an accident that killed three people in the Dominican Republic.
Cruz is looking to just get back to baseball and that is the opportunity that winter ball has afforded him. It makes up for missed at-bats with the 2020 Minor League season being canceled. However, he has also been struggling hitting .231 in just three games played this season. He has struck out five times in 13 at-bats and only has one extra-base hit. Cruz is looking to make his MLB debut sometime this year making his way through a crowded middle infield for the Pirates. Everything indicates that Cruz will return to the Pirates in 2021 and he is looking to live up to his top prospect status.
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