Pirates' McCutchen lauds Cruz's potential: 'He has no ceiling'

Pittsburgh Pirates veteran Andrew McCutchen is a big believer in the talents of Oneil Cruz.

"He's working on an open space. He has no ceiling," McCutchen said, according to MLB.com's Alex Stumpf. "He's building the foundation. Time will come when he knows what that is, and then the ceiling will start. As of right now, endless possibilities for him. I hope that's how he views it."

McCutchen believes Cruz's raw skills are as impressive in some ways as those of Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.

"You've got Shohei Ohtani, he's in his own threshold being a pitcher and position player," McCutchen said. "He does things that people go, 'I've never seen that done.' (Cruz) does the same stuff, stuff you've never seen."

Cruz has developed a reputation for crushing the baseball, trailing only Aaron Judge and Ohtani with a 95.5-mph average exit velocity in 2024.

He posted a .773 OPS with 21 home runs, 76 RBIs, and 22 stolen bases in 146 games last season. The Pirates moved the 26-year-old from shortstop to center field late in the 2024 campaign, and he's expected to start there this year.