Pirates' Cruz: '30-30 or 40-40' is my goal this season
Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz has some lofty expectations for his first full season in the majors.
"I'm looking for 30-30 or 40-40 this year," Cruz said Thursday, according to Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic. "The one (thing) that is going to be under my control is to play hard and put on a good show for the people in Pittsburgh who go to see me play."
Only 43 players in MLB history have hit at least 30 homers with 30 stolen bases in a season, while only four major leaguers have recorded 40-40 campaigns.
Cruz went deep 17 times with 10 steals and a .744 OPS over 87 games during his 2022 rookie campaign. He finished sixth in NL Rookie of the Year voting.
The 24-year-old gained fame around baseball by breaking Statcast records with his arm strength and exit velocity.