The Pittsburgh Pirates have struggled massively to produce much offense this season, coming into Sunday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers with the least amount of runs scored of any team in baseball. But thankfully, one Pirates star quickly reminded fans of what kind of offensive potential he has with one swing of the bat in their series finale on Sunday.
There haven’t been all that many bright spots for the Pirates at the plate this season. But star centerfielder Oneil Cruz has been exactly that for them, sporting the only OPS on the team above .700, which is largely considered the league-average baseline in that stat.
Trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the third inning, Cruz showed his raw power and athleticism on full display, hitting a home run out to right field off of Brewers starting pitcher Logan Henderson to cut into their deficit.
The home run came off of Cruz’s bat at 122.9 miles per hour, which is the new hardest-hit ball in the Statcast Era.
Oneil Cruz’s 122.9 MPH homer was the hardest-hit ball of the Statcast Era 😳 pic.twitter.com/VfzAcPLwg8
— MLB (@MLB) May 25, 2025
Considering the Pirates have the second-worst record in the National League, it has been widely speculated that the Pirates could be sellers at the MLB trade deadline in the next few months.
The organization has already said that they won’t be trading star pitcher Paul Skenes, which makes sense given the fact that Skenes is set to be a surefire ace for the next decade-plus, barring injury.
It will be interesting to see whether Cruz could potentially be someone who could be on the move.
On one hand, Cruz could be a building block for the organization at just 26 years of age. But then again, he could also be a piece used by the Pirates to revamp their farm system with a number of prospects that could help them in the future.
Cruz breaking the MLB record for the hardest hit ball should certainly get the attention of teams looking for an impact bat at the deadline. So it could very well end up being a situation where the Pirates are offered a trade that is too good to refuse.
