The Pirates are 19-16 after 35 games. They still sit in last place but are only 3.5 games out of first place. The Pirates are statistically much better than they were at this time last year. After analyzing all the offensive, defensive, and pitching statistics, it makes you wonder why they are only 3 games over .500. More on that later. I felt the Pirates had to be at least an average offensive team in order to contend. So far, they are much better than that. They had to be at least average on defense, and they are better than that. They had to maintain their top 5 pitching performance. They are close to that, except in one crucial area. Overall, this team is very good from a numerical point of view. There are some obvious deficiencies, but let’s take a look and see where the 2026 Pirates stand.
This was the worst offensive team in baseball last year by a wide margin. This was the area where this team really needed to improve, and improve they have. In runs per game, they are 6th in baseball. They are 12th in home runs. They are 11th in slugging. They were 30th in all of these stats last year. Quite a jump! They are 5th in on-base percentage (OBP). In the overall offensive stat OPS, they are 8th. They are in the top 12 of every important offensive parameter. Last year, the highest they ranked was 24th, with everything else being either 29th or 30th. According to WAR (Wins Above Replacement), which gives the overall value of a player, including offense, defense, and base running, the Pirates have two glaring weaknesses: our catchers are ranked 25th in baseball, and we have the worst DH. All other positions are ranked between 7th and 10th, making it one of the most balanced teams in the league. The only exception is shortstop, ranked at 17th, but we all know that will improve as Konnor Griffin develops.
Our pitching has been a touch below last year, but not by much. In fielding independent pitching (FIP), the Pirates are 4th in all of baseball. This measures how well pitchers control what is in their control: strikeouts, walks, and home runs. They have given up a lot of walks—8th most in baseball—but have counteracted that by leading the league in strikeouts. They have the 7th best ERA in baseball. Overall, they are 12th in baseball in total run prevention. According to WAR, we have the 5th best rotation and the 6th best bullpen. The Pirates do have one area where they have not been very good when it comes to pitching: they have converted only 38% of their save opportunities, putting them 28th in the league, ahead of only the New York Mets and California Angels. The back end of this bullpen needs to improve. Don Kelly needs to reassess who he puts in to pitch the last 3 innings of a game. This will be something to watch closely over the next 30 or so games.
At least while watching the Pirates, I felt that they were not performing very well defensively. According to Baseball Reference’s defensive efficiency stat, which I have used over the years, the Pirates rank 9th in defense. This surprises me, but I still prefer this defensive metric. Most of the time, the Pirates have ranked in the bottom 10. Last year, they finished 9th. In the previous four seasons, they finished 24th, 18th, 27th, and 24th. As long as the Pirates can remain close to the top 10 in fielding, they should be fine for the rest of the season.
Can or should the Pirates do anything about the glaring weaknesses they have? There has been a lot of clamoring for Joey Bart to be DFA’d and for the team to bring up Endy Rodriguez or Rafael Flores. I have written that I feel by mid-season those two should be the catchers. For right now, I think you need to stand pat at that position. Both Rodriguez and Flores have struggled at the AAA level. Rodriguez’s slash line currently is .222/.322/.313 with 1 home run and 14 RBIs. Flores is not much better at .224/.336/.374 with 3 home runs and 18 RBIs. Both have perked up a little lately, but not enough in my view to warrant a call-up. Henry Davis did hit two home runs the other night but is really showing no signs that he will ever hit above .200. There is no question the Pirates need upgrades at catcher, but where are they going to get them? With the exception of two players, nobody is really hitting or pitching down at AAA. Indianapolis’s record is 12-21. Ronny Simon is lighting it up right now with a slash line of .365/.442/.538. The other player doing well is none other than Alika Williams, who is slashing .347/.406/.505. I am not suggesting that these players should be brought up, but they could be used as trade bait if they continue to play and hit well. Then there is Marcell Ozuna, currently the worst DH in baseball. What should the Pirates do? The first thing they need to do is bat him no higher than 7th in the order and preferably 8th. If he continues to be this bad come August 1st, then he needs to be dumped. They should move Griffin up to 6th or 5th. If he moves up, the Pirates would have a formidable top 7 in the batting order, with Ozuna and the catcher bringing up the rear. Finally, if this team is going to continue to make strides and contend, management and coaching need to do a better job. The bullpen needs to be run better. They have to get Bubba Chandler back on track. They need to be a little more aggressive on the basepaths. They need to acquire another bullpen piece. They need to add Mlodzinski back to the bullpen once Jared Jones returns. In other words, the Pirates need two new additions to this bullpen that are bullpen stalwarts, not converted starting pitchers. At their current pace, the Pirates would win 88 games, which would make them playoff contenders. However, when you look at the stats, this team seems even better. The question is, will this team get all the help they need from this current management team and front office? Right now, I would say the answer is a toss-up.
The Goofy Game of Golf/Life Searching for the Answer 