Bryan De La Cruz excited about fresh start with Pirates
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Ángel Cantú, Contributor
- August 1, 2024
Pirates like De La Cruz's power
HOUSTON – Bryan De La Cruz sprinted to right field Wednesday night at Minute Maid Park wearing new threads and a new number. After playing in Houston two weeks ago with the Marlins, he was back as a Pittsburgh Pirate.
The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic native’s power at the plate and his strong arm prompted Pittsburgh to acquire De La Cruz on the final day of the trade deadline. Although he barely arrived, the slugging outfielder is already enjoying his time with his new team.
De La Cruz, 27, was received with open arms from his new club. He instantly felt part of the family when they united for the first time. As much as De La Cruz is excited for a fresh start with a contender, the Pirates are also eager to welcome his power production at the plate.
“I’ve seen him play here and there,” Pirates outfielder Joshua Palacios said of De La Cruz. ”That guy has good power, and he’s a great athlete. I think he’ll bring a good bat for this team. It’ll be nice to see.”
After 431 games in Miami, De La Cruz was traded for minor-league pitcher Jun Seok Shim, who now ranks 20th in the Marlins’ farm system, and infielder Garret Forrester, who was drafted in the third round in 2023.
Bryan De La Cruz embraces change
The price for the 6-foot-2 outfielder was steep because he has shown tremendous progress the past two years. Moreover, he won’t be a free agent until 2028. With 18 home runs already, De La Cruz is one home run shy of tying his career high.
He is also projected to surpass his previous single-season career highs for RBIs, runs and hits. De La Cruz credits the work he put in this offseason for his power surge.
“I thought during the offseason I could become a better power hitter than I was already,” he said. “I worked on my power during the offseason, and it’s showing up right now.”
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Before acquiring De La Cruz, the Pirates ranked 26th in team slugging and OPS. They also ranked 25th in team batting average. De La Cruz’s goal is simple. He aims to prove that Pittsburgh made the right move in trading two highly sought prospects for him.
Bryan De La Cruz wants to show that he is the answer to the Pirates’ need to increase their offensive production.
Playoff hopes
“It feels pretty good to be here knowing that this team believed in me to help the team win for a few years. That is what I’m going to try to do,” De La Cruz said. “I will bring my energy and experience to contribute like I did with the Marlins. I came here to try to make it to the playoffs”
The Pirates quickly inserted him in the fourth spot of their lineup. In his first at-bat as a Pirate De La Cruz blasted a 101.2-mph shot up the middle for a single off the Astros’ left-handed pitcher Framber Valdez.
The Pirates got to Valdez early. De La Cruz’s leadoff single initiated a four-run inning for the visiting team. Later in the eighth inning, he almost tied the game with a single off Ryan Pressly. The Astros held on, but De La Cruz made a great first impression with his new team.
The Pirates will surely rely on De La Cruz to produce runs from the top part of the order.
Ángel Cantú
Contributor
Our Esquina contributor Ángel Cantú is a co-host for the Full Seam Ahead podcast. He joined Teach for America after graduating from Texas A&M University. He is currently a fourth grade teacher at KIPP Public Schools in Houston.
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