After Pittsburgh Pirates rookie third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes graduated from prospect status, Oneil Cruz assumed the top prospect ranking in the club’s minor league system. Now, Cruz is one of the top 20 prospects in baseball.
When Baseball America updated its top 100 prospects yesterday, Cruz moved up 10 spots from its mid-August rankings to No. 19. (Hayes was ranked No. 15 by Baseball America in January).
Cruz, a 6-foot-7 shortstop from the Dominican Republic, is slashing .293/.348/.522 with 13 doubles, five triples, 10 home runs and 36 RBIs in 57 games at Double-A Altoona. He missed more than a month of the season with tightness in his right forearm. Cruz is one of five Pirates prospects in the top 100, as four moved up spots in the rankings.