Bob Pompiani

We just haven't seen it consistently.

Could this be the year?

Time will tell.

People were calling in the Pony and Muller show yesterday after the game, apologizing to O'Neal Cruz for being so critical of him after that first series of the year.

And I think that's gone too far.

No one needs to apologize for O'Neal Cruz.

He got a lefty pitching coach this offseason, a batting practice pitcher, and that has paid off.

He is more than halfway to matching his full season-long total of hits with

From last year.

He has five hits against left-handed pitching this year.

He had 11 all of last season.

So not more than halfway, but nearly halfway.

He has two homers now against left-handed pitching.

He has doubled up what he did last year.

So that hard work has paid off, and for that we're all thankful.

He also worked with Kevin Kiermaier in the outfield, and we have yet to see the fruits of that labor.

But the expectation for O'Neal Cruz should be that he becomes an average center fielder who winds up hitting 30 home runs.

And if you do that, you're one of the better outfielders in all of Major League Baseball.

And so when he makes mistakes in the outfield, and the one that Reynolds got charged the error on was not his fault.

No.