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Oneil Cruz 2023 Player Outlook: Unlikely to Hit His Massive Ceiling in 2023
Cruz has more launch velocity highlights than actual Major League success in his young career, but we can find plenty of positives from what he did in 2022. He hit 17 homers in 361 plate appearances for a great home run rate of 21.2 PA/HR, and he swiped 11 bags. That extrapolates to an easy 30-20 season for the big man, which is very useful for the roto leagues. The problem, of course, is the massive strikeout rate (34.9%) which keeps his batting average quite low (.233 last year). The lineup around him doesn't do him any favors either, as the Pirates once again project to be a bottom-ten offense in the league. We can't really talk about Cruz without mentioning his game-breaking upside. No other hitter in the league have the absurd power and speed combination that he possesses. If he can bring the strikeout rate below 30%, he would probably hit .250 or so and would put up close to first-round production with the power and steals alone. He's a special talent, and could someday be a guy you take with the #1 overall pick in fantasy, but it's more likely that his strikeout rate and the offense around him keep him short of his #70 ADP in 2023.
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