No team scored less in 2025 than the Pirates. Of course, that was nothing new. Since Pittsburgh’s drought began in 2016, only one team, the Marlins, has scored fewer runs. The 2016 season was the last time the Bucs ranked among the top half of NL teams in scoring, and 2018 was the last time they finished the season with an OPS above the NL average. In recent years, the easiest way to sound like a broken record in Pirates circles has been to ask when the team will give its talented young players the support they deserve.
With 61 games in 2026, it’s starting to make sense Ben Cherington and Co have finally released that broken vinyl on the player. The Pirates rank in the top eight in the league in all three triple-slash categories (BA, OBP, & SLG), as well as walks, wOBA, xwOBA, OPS, and wRC+. They also lead the majors in stolen base success rate, and their 61 steals ranked third. Most importantly, all those hits, walks, and runs help them drive to the plate. Pittsburgh is averaging 5.1 runs per contest, fifth in MLB.
The group’s top producers have been a good mix of homegrown heroes and shiny new toys. Bryan Reynoldsthe longest-tenured Pirate, leads the team with a .403 on-base percentageage; among qualified foreign players, only Mike Trout again James Wood they have reached the base at a high level. Found in 2018 Andrew McCutchen tradeReynolds emerged as a star in 2019 and ’21, his first two full seasons. However, his next few years were very good, and his 2025 campaign was really disappointing; he saw his wRC+ dip below league average, while his .157 unique power (ISO) was the lowest of his career. He was nothing like the middle-order bat that convinced the notoriously stingy organization to open their purse strings and sign him. the largest contract in franchise history (then) a few years ago. In the first two months of 2026, Reynolds looks like that type of player again. His power numbers are still low, but he compensates with behavior. He walked 57 times in 2025, 57 times in 2024, 53 times in 2023, and 56 times in 2022. This year, the quarterback has already caught 44 passes, and Pittsburgh has 101 games left to play. Add in his four hit-by-pitches, and he’s on pace to walk to first nearly 130 times in 2026; his previous career-high was 83. Overall, the offensive production is up there with that of his best years: an .835 OPS and a 138 wRC+.
While Reynolds brings mobility, another resurgent veteran brings energy. Brandon Loweacquired in a three-team trade this winter, leads the club in home runs, base hits, and wRC+. His 15 long balls are tied for fourth in the National League. If he continues to hit at this rate, he will become the first Pirates player to hit 40 homers since Willie Stargell in 1973, and it’s not unreasonable to think he could pull that off. Lowe has always had great potential, but frequent injuries have hampered him; he scored 31 runs in 134 games last year and 39 in 149 games in 2021. The fact that PNC Park doesn’t have a home friendly didn’t hurt him either. Instead, it helped him hit 12 doubles, setting him a new career high in total bases and base hits.
Neither Reynolds nor Lowe drove more often Oneil Cruzwho leads the Pirates in runs scored and RBI. Cruz is a flawed player. He’s struck out more than a third of his trips to the plate, and he’s driving too many balls straight down the field. The thing is, those mistakes are almost negligible when the 6-foot-7 Cruz makes the most of his insane power and speed. His 119 mph double from April 16 is still the hardest hit by any player this year — and that’s still 4 mph slower than Cruz’s personal best (also a Statcast season record). In 2026, Cruz took advantage of having the third-fastest swing speed and the highest rate in baseball to hit 14 home runs, just seven shy of his career high. He is tied for third in MLB with 19 stolen bases in 22 attempts. That makes him the only player in the 30-30 season category.
In many ways, Spencer Horwitz the anti-Cruz. The 5-foot-10 first baseman doesn’t run well, swing fast, or hit the ball hard. However, only 10 professional hitters have a lower swing-to-miss rate, and only four have a higher walk-to-strikeout rate. Because of his approach to the crowd, Horwitz ranked third on the Pirates with an .843 OPS and 137 wRC+. And while he doesn’t have as long a record as most of his teammates, he has an impressive wRC+ of 146 since last year’s All-Star break. Only five NL hitters are ahead of him in that span: Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Kyle Schwarber, Brice Turangagain Corbin Carroll. The catch is that the Pirates did everything they could to protect the left-handed Horwitz from hitting with one hand. About 87% of his plate appearances over the past two years have come against righties, and he has a career .561 OPS and 66 wRC+ without the platoon advantage. Still, he has proven to be incredibly useful, even with his limitations. It looks like the Pirates knew exactly what they were doing when they acquired him (literally) from another three-team club two seasons ago.
Speaking of good mashers, Ryan O’Hearn he returned from the injured list over the weekend, and celebrated with a home run to right field in his first at-bat. The two-year, $29MM contract O’Hearn signed over the winter represents the largest guarantee ever given to a free agent. Although a contract like that wouldn’t seem like a big deal to most teams, it was for the Pirates. So far, it looks like they picked the right player moving forward. With eight home runs in 46 games, O’Hearn is on pace to surpass 20 for the first time. His .845 OPS and 136 wRC+ would also be his best marks in both categories since his 44-game rookie season in 2018. The Pirates didn’t protect O’Hearn against southpaws the same way they protected Horwitz, so they should hope he improves on his .669 OPS and 84 lefty wRC+. Even if he doesn’t, his numbers against righties make it easy to overlook his shortcomings with the same arm.
The Pirates’ team problems go beyond any individual player. Their offense has been relentless against right-handed pitching, but unfortunately, they still have to face lefties about 30% of the time. Lefties on the mound, the Pirates have a middling OPS of .690 and a 94 wRC+. Reynolds pitched well, and the left-handed hitter Cruz had some separation, but Lowe, Horwitz, and O’Hearn struggled to do much damage. That’s compounded by the fact that none of the right-handed hitters in the lineup stepped up to cover southpaws. The designated hitter Marcell Ozunaanother player who signed last season, shows his 35 years at the plate, and a third player who plays under Nick Gonzales he had great success against the righteous. The good news about the Pirates is that they have at least one good bat they can rely on.
Connor Griffin is widely considered the top prospect in baseball entering this season. No one understood the hype better than the Pirates themselves, who agreed to a $140MM extension with their star just days into his MLB career. In 208 PA, Griffin has a modest .729 OPS and 104 wRC+, with nearly platoon separation. However, he was still finding ways to make a big impact on Pittsburgh’s offense before hitting IL over the weekend. (He has a flexor tendon strain, and is not expected to miss much time.) The lightning-quick 20-year-old is 14-to-15 in stolen bases, and leads the majors in FanGraphs’ baserunning metric, BsR. So, despite his pedestrian performances at the plate, he has scored 30 runs in 51 games. If he uses more of his strength, he can help protect the backs of his teammates, and the division of the Pittsburgh team should start with a tie.
The Pirates haven’t had an offensive core like this in a long time. Lowe, Reynolds, Horwitz, and O’Hearn all rank among the top 20 qualified NL hitters in wRC+. Over the past decade, only one Pittsburgh hitter — Reynolds in 2021 — has finished a season with a wRC+ high enough to finish in the NL’s top 20. Cruz, meanwhile, is on pace for the most runs scored by any Pirates hitter since then. Brian Giles in 2001, and hopes to join Barry Bonds as just the second player to go 30-30 in franchise history. Then there’s Griffin, who has the tools to become the organization’s biggest star since then McCutchen.
This group has its own problems. The Pirates would have made the finals if the season ended today, but it’s not happening. They have to show that they can keep this up for another four months. To do that, they need their veterans to stay hot, Their little boys take the next step, too Andy Rodríguez to finally prove that he can be the answer behind the plate. However, since it’s still the season, there is something different about this version of the Pirates. For the first time in a long time, the Pirates had an offense.
Photos courtesy of Charles LeClaire and Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images.
