The Pittsburgh Pirates have played through 16 games so far this season and are sitting at a 10-6 record. There have been several things that have stood out from this team so far in 2026, both good and bad.
The Battling Buccos are Back!
One of the best things about this Pirates team in 2026 is the completely transformed lineup. Gone are the days where opposing pitchers could pitch around the Pirates hitters. On any given night, any one of Pittsburgh’s batters can completely change the game. Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn are living up to their All-Star status as new Buccos, while others like Nick Gonzales and Bryan Reynolds continue to show up as returning Pirates. In the span of just one offseason, the Pirates’ offense has gone from the absolute worst to being one of the most explosive in baseball. These are the kind of bats that help propel a team to the postseason, and it’s very possible that Buctober could be back in full swing with this kind of lineup.
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Another one of the best storylines of this Pirates’ team has been the explosive start that Oneil Cruz has been off to. Year after year, Pirates’ fans have wondered when they were going to see the best that Cruz has to offer. It’s still early, but it really looks like Cruz has ascended to an All-Star level of play at the plate. In the offseason, the 27-year-old focused extensively on improving his hitting against left-handed pitchers, and the results have been incredible. Cruz is currently on a 12-game hitting streak, and is slashing an impressive .355/.429/.645 with five homers and seven stolen bases. If Cruz can continue to play at this level, he could be one of the most feared hitters in Major League Baseball.
Possibly the strongest unit on the team and maybe even in all of baseball is the Pirates’ starting rotation. Led by the reigning National League Cy Young winner, Paul Skenes, this unit has been very dominant to start the season. What’s incredible though is that outside of Skenes, the rest of the group is handling their own, and there really hasn’t been a weakest link. Mitch Keller went from an afterthought to the model of consistency as a true veteran on the pitching staff. Carmen Mlodzinski is off to the strongest start of his career and is looking like a legit starter. Braxton Ashcraft has a 2.12 ERA through three starts and has a whopping 20 strikeouts, nine of which came in his last start against the Chicago Cubs. Rounding out the group is Bubba Chandler,who has given up three earned runs in two of his starts so far, but he’s still giving opposing batters fits as he continues to grow in his Major League career.
This is possibly the most exciting Pirates’ team in a decade, and after their most recent win against the Washington Nationals, it feels like this team is just getting started.
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The cannons don’t always thunder…
With all the good that this team has shown, there are certainly still some chinks in their armor. One of the most telling stats from the Pirates’ losses has been the amount of runners left on bases. On average, the team leaves 7.88 baserunners left on base per game, which puts them in the bottom five of baseball. This stat has hampered them in several of their losses, as countless scoring opportunities were left stranded on the base pads. The team’s season high for runners LOB was 13 against the Cubs in the 4-3 extra innings victory. This feels like a stat that’s trending towards being resolved as the lineup continues to improve, but the team certainly can’t excel with scoring opportunities being lost on the base pads.
Don Kelly in his first full season as the Pirates’ manager seems to have largely revitalized the team’s culture. With that being said, he looks a lot like the man he replaced in terms of the decisions he makes in regards to the bullpen. Former Pirates’ manager and current Twin’s skipper, Derek Shelton, was notoriously bad at managing his relief pitchers, and Kelly seems to be following in his footsteps. Make no mistake, the bullpen has not been awful by any means, but there have been several points so far this year where Kelly’s decisions were questionable. Putting in Hunter Barco in a high leverage situation in the opening series against the New York Mets saw the unproven pitcher give up two earned runs in extra innings. In the Pirates most recent contest against the Nationals, Jose Urquidy gave up four earned runs after relieving Skenes, and looked like a guy who shouldn’t have been out there in the first place. Kelly can be a good manager, but time will tell if he can grow into a great manager.
It never feels right to kick a man while he’s down, but Marcell Ozuna has been the anchor weighing this ship down for the Pirates. Ozuna was considered a marquee signing for the Buccos in the offseason, but to this point he looks like a shell of his former self. Serving as the team’s primary option at the designated hitter position, Ozuna has done everything but hit. To this point, he has just three hits on the season with a batting average of .070 and a .167 on base percentage. The 35-year-old former Silver Slugger has not contributed to the wins that Pittsburgh has had this year, but his shortcomings have unfortunately spoke volumes. As a fan, it hurts knowing that Ozuna is the player that the organization chose over their franchise star, Andrew McCutchen. Granted ‘Cutch is not playing an everyday DH role like Ozuna has been, but when he’s in the lineup for the Rangers, he’s had mostly positive results. It’s far too early to pull the plug on Ozuna, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s not on the team at the end of the regular season if his play continues at this rate.
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What do yinz think? What’s stood out to you from your Buccos so far? Let us know in the comments!
