Cruz is a fascinating prospect, mostly because of his size at his position. According to Baseball Scouter, the average shortstop is slightly over 6 feet tall. While that’s not perfect data, Cruz towers over the group, standing 6-7.

In addition to his size, Cruz boasts so-called “light-tower power.” The Pirates have five home runs from their shortstops this year, four of them from utility man Diego Castillo.

Here’s what to know about Oneil Cruz as he plays his first MLB game of the season against the Cubs on Monday.

How tall is Oneil Cruz?

Cruz stands 6-7, the same listed height as the Yankees’ Aaron Judge. While unofficial, it wouldn’t be out of the question to call him the tallest shortstop in MLB history. Corey Seager and Carlos Correa are considered the tallest at 6-4, and Cruz is taller than both.

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Cruz is over a foot taller than 5-6 Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, who is the subject of some very famous photos of him standing next to Judge. Judge is an outfielder, where height stands out a bit less.

Why is Oneil Cruz playing shortstop?

One of the storylines around Cruz during his minor league days has been when he will finally move off shortstop. He saw a lot of time at third base when he was in the Dodgers system and early in his time in the Pirates’ chain. As Cruz showcased his speed, however, it became more and more apparent that his range would be wasted at the hot corner.

According to MLB Pipeline, the Pirates initially wanted to keep Cruz at short so he would remain focused in the field. But his arm and mobility made it clear that he could be an asset there.

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Cruz played nine games in left field at Triple-A Indianapolis this season, but the Pirates will use him mostly at shortstop. 

“Now’s the time that we think [Cruz] can help us,” Pirates manager Derek Shelton said after the team’s walk-off win over the Giants on Sunday, per MLB.com. “We’ve talked about a lot of things developmentally. There’s still things we’re going to continue to work on, but we think now’s the time that he’s going to help us.”

What are Oneil Cruz’s stats?

Cruz batted .233/.337/.424 with nine home runs in 54 game for Indianapolis this year. In nine MLB plate appearances last season, Cruz had three hits and a home run, including a 118 mph rocket against the Reds.

What to expect from Oneil Cruz

Cruz’s brief stint in the majors last season was a good base for what he’s capable of doing, but the key moving forward will be how well he makes adjustments. 

In nearly every highlight clip of Cruz, it appears teams mistake his height for a weakness and try to attack him low in the zone or below the zone. It rarely goes well for them.

Cruz’s strength is, frankly, his strength. He can muscle a ball out from anywhere, even if teams try to take his legs out of the equation. 

One other consideration: In the majors, MLB umpires will need time to adjust to him. Indeed, they’re still trying to figure out what a strike on Judge is. After Julio Rodríguez debuted for the Mariners this year, Seattle wrote a letter to the league office complaining about calls against the outfielder. Things may not get that dramatic for Pittsburgh, but there will likely be growing pains.

Cruz has a lot of potential, and his unconventional nature only adds to his allure. He could be an immediate contributor to a Pirates batting order that has some power with Jack Suwinski and Bryan Reynolds. But consistency will have to be the name of the game.