Quick Pitch
Thoughts on the 2026 Pittsburgh Pirates with an appropriate sample size in the books.
Brandon Lowe has been everything the Pirates could have hoped for when they traded for him.
Marcell Ozuna hasn’t been a massive disappointment.
Oneil Cruz might not be the impact hitter that was projected, but his power production is better than ever in the majors.
Henry Davis might not be the power hitter that was projected, but his defense has taken massive steps forward behind the plate.
Despite poor outfield defense, Bryan Reynolds is having his best offensive season since his breakout in 2021.
Ryan O’Hearn rounds out one of the worst outfield defenses in the league, but he’s been everything you want from a free agent on offense.
Paul Skenes is still one of the best in the game.
Mitch Keller is still an underrated reliable innings eater.
Bubba Chandler doesn’t need to be Skenes, but he does need to improve his control.
If Mason Montgomery improved his control, he’d be one of the best relievers in the game.
Gregory Soto was a shrewd offseason addition, adding a rare shutdown arm to the late innings.
Evan Sisk is another lefty reliever putting up great numbers.
The Pirates haven’t seen good results from their right-handed relievers.
Carmen Mlodzinski has a .556 OPS-against in the first three innings, and a .966 OPS-against in the 4-6 innings.
The eventual return of Jared Jones will be an overall boost to the pitching staff.
Nick Gonzales has been a welcome breakout at the plate, led by contact and on-base abilities.
Jared Triolo would be better if he went back to a super-utility role, versus being forced into a starting role.
Braxton Ashcraft has been one of the biggest breakout performers on the pitching side.
Konnor Griffin is holding his own at a very young age in the Major Leagues.
I don’t see anyone in Triple-A who can provide immediate help for the offense.
Hunter Barco looks like the best minor league depth option for the rotation.
“Look below Double-A and pray” should be the slogan of the minor league system.
Seth Hernandez is the most exciting prospect to follow, but he might be years away from the Majors.
The guy who drafted Griffin and Hernandez was hired away by the Nationals this offseason, which raises big questions for future draft performance.
Greensboro stats shouldn’t be trusted, but Lonnie White’s power surge is something to follow.
Edward Florentino and Wyatt Sanford are the only age-appropriate hitting prospects who show potential, but their big tests won’t start until they reach Altoona.
At the big league level, the Pirates have a top five pitching staff.
The rotation is one of the best in the game.
The bullpen is being kept at average levels by the lefty relievers.
The offense is top ten by many metrics, which is the biggest surprise of the season.
The defense is below average, with an outfield among the worst in the game.
Despite these trends, the poor defense doesn’t seem to be impacting the pitching, and the poor defenders are hitting well.
The potential of that equation to break during a full-season has me holding to my 78-win prediction.
Second base, right field, and center field are the only positions where the Pirates rank top ten in the league.
Third base is the only other position that is above-average.
Upgrades will be difficult to find, because the Pirates can’t easily move on from the players leading below-average positions.
Right-handed relief and designated hitting would be the easiest places to seek an upgrade.
The salary dump of David Bednar, and the allocation of those funds to Ozuna, were the worst set of moves over the last year.
I think Andrew McCutchen would have better numbers if he stayed in Pittsburgh.
A 19-17 record, and last place in the NL Central, gives a haunting memory of the 2015 season.
The 2026 season is 22.22% completed.
It’s always a long season.
Until the next time I go live…
-Tim Williams