Bucs Q&A: Pirates CF Oneil Cruz a 'normal guy' when it comes to making mental mistakes

What did you see on the ball that got past you in the first inning Friday night against the Rangers?

It was just a hard line drive right at me. I think I trusted myself too much, and it just went by me. I just made a mistake.

What has Don Kelly’s leadership and the conversations he’s had when he pulls you aside meant to you?

It’s always good to have a manager like DK. He pulled me to the side, and he told me … he went straight to the point. But, at the same time, he gave me the courage to continue the game and finish the game the way I did. I played hard.

Is he the type of manager you want to play for because you respect that?

Definitely. He’s the type of manager that we need to play hard for him the whole time. That goes back to when I was an infielder with Donnie. He was always next to me, giving me the courage and encouragement and all of that to push me to keep going. We have built that relationship for a couple years now. Definitely he’s a guy we want to play hard for.

What did he tell you in that conversation?

I’ll keep those to myself. There are some good things that he told me, but I’ll keep those to myself.

How do you mentally navigate your struggles?

When it comes to the struggles and the mental stuff, I’m not like everybody else. I’m a really normal guy. I’m not the guy that’s like, ‘The world’s going to end.’ I’m just going to continue to work and trust my abilities, my physical abilities and my ability. Just continue to go out there and play the game.

When the ball gets past you and you don’t turn to chase it, how much of it is a mental lapse or an adjustment to infielder instincts from your days as a shortstop?

Definitely in that situation, I knew I missed the ball. I thought that (Adam) Frazier, because outfielders are supposed to back each other, I thought Frazier was closer to me. When I saw him, then I tried to go, he was closer to the ball already. That’s why I stayed put.