Oneil Cruz is 6ft 7in and can blast a baseball 122mph. But can he play?

On Wednesday, Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz did something we’ve never seen an MLB player do before. Well, not that we know about, seeing as the StatCast era didn’t begin until 2015. Against the Atlanta Braves, Cruz cracked a base hit that clocked at 122.4mph off the bat, which surpassed New York Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton’s previous record of 122.2mph.

It was an impressive “exit” velocity, even if Cruz’s record-setting hit only went for a single in PNC Park. He may have hit it too hard to get a double out of it, though it would have been a home run in most ballparks. Still, it might have been the highlight for hometown fans who watched their team get blown by the Braves, not a shocking result for a Pittsburgh team trapped in the cellar of the NL Central.

Oneil Cruz is SPECIAL.54 games into his @MLB career, he already has the hardest-hit ball and fastest throw to first recorded in the Statcast era.(MLBStats x @googlecloud) pic.twitter.com/8JciEBWXR3

Cruz’s rookie season has been rather rocky as well. Yes, the 6ft 7in infielder has ridiculous tools: his 97.8mph throw to first base earlier in the season was also a StatCast-era record. The 23-year-old managed to complete both feats in 54 games, but during that stretch he only hit .199/.249/.398. When he’s made contact, Cruz has hit the ball far but his 10 home runs during that period went along with 79 strikeouts and just 13 walks. Clearly, plate patience is a concern.

Now, Pirates fans hope that this is simply because the Dominican prospect is still adjusting to life in the major leagues. Cruz, after all, only played two games at baseball’s highest level last year and still managed to squeeze in his first MLB home run. He wasn’t called up again until June