DK’s Daily Shot of Pirates: But who’ll improve?

DK’s Daily Shot of Pirates: But who’ll improve?

[music] [music] No matter who it is that Ben Sherington signs or for that matter doesn’t sign, [music] the defining facet of the 2026 season for this club [music] will be the improvement or not the [music] existing hitters. Good morning to you. Good Thursday morning. I’m Dan Kvachovich of DK Pittsburgh Sports and this is Daily Shot of Pirates. It comes your way bright and early every weekday if you’re into football andor hockey. I also offer daily shots of Steelers and Penguins in the same place that you found this. Matt Hags first season as hitting coach probably couldn’t have gone much worse than it did. And while I’m a proponent of giving any hitting or pitching coach more than a year to install and get buy in from the program that they have, I mean, I’m going to say it again. It could not have bottomed out more than it did. Not just because the Pirates finished at the bottom of almost every offensive category spanning Major League Baseball. but also because, and maybe even more disturbingly, the individual hitters that they did have or thought they had regressed. Not one of them, not two of them, not a bunch of them, all of them across the everything. Just no exceptions. Heck, the guy who’s probably been the most reliable hitter this team’s had over the past decade, the one guy who was money in the bank was Brian Reynolds. Not a superstar, but enough that he earned his way twice onto the National League All-Star team. In 2024, the [snorts] last season for the Pirates under Andy Haynes as hitting coach, Reynolds batted 275. and that would drop to 245 this past season. He had 24 home runs in 2024, 16 this past season, 791 OPS 2024, 720 this past season. Everything got worse. No exceptions to the one guy who’d seemingly been immune to all this beforehand. Now O’Neal Cruz’s drop made Reynolds look like stepping off a curb. Batting average 259 to 200. Home runs, well, this one wasn’t so bad. 21 to 20. But the OPS, which doesn’t lie cuz it takes into account everything that you do offensively, went from 773 to 676, almost 100 points. And by the way, because this matters too, his career OPS is now 734. So he’s coming off a season in which he was 58 points below what he does. I’m going to throw in Nick Gonzalez because I feel that’s fair since I feel I might not be right about this that he’s going to start out the 2026 season as your second baseman. It’s not a position they’re necessarily going to be looking to fill with some external addition. Nick’s drops were more modest from 270 to 260 as a batting average, from seven home runs to five, and from a 709 OPS to 661. Now, Nick’s still youngish. He’s 26. He’s going to turn 27 in May, but he was Cherington’s first draft pick in Pittsburgh and a number seven overall. And he’s certainly turned himself into a pro in the way he carries himself and the way he’s fielded his position and so forth. But he went backward as well. Even players who you didn’t think could go backward because they had cratered so badly in 2024 found a way. And you know who I’m going to reference here because Jack Sinsky is a guy that they keep hanging on to it. They just did it again. He’s going to be back next season. Well, his past three seasons have looked like this. I’m going to give you three on purpose. Batting average 224, 182, 147 home runs. And this is the one that just is is a knife to the gut. 26 9 and three. And as [clears throat] a rookie, by the way, in 2022, he had 19 home runs. So, he had 45 homers in his first 250 games in the majors and then just nothing. Constant regression. Do I also need to bring up Henry Davis, Joey Bart? I’ve made this point previously, but this team is not going to get away with just signing a couple of super mega stars, presuming that’s even possible given who’s already hooked up with other teams. You could bring in two still really big bats. You could bring in three of them and it’s not going to matter if this group continues well to stay where they were in 2025 or far worse somehow to step back even further. And then, as if this whole episode hasn’t been dousing enough water on all of this, there’s also the not at all unlikely scenario in which the pirates could spend a bunch of money on people who have hit all their lives only to bring them here to Pittsburgh where they can’t hit at all suddenly anymore. This is variable number one heading into the 2026 season. It’s not the sexiest of headlines. It’s not going to get anywhere near as much attention as say [music] the very first hitter signing that they have. Again, presuming they’ll ever have [music] one. That number is still at zero. But this is way at the top. when [music] we come back. J1Q. If you’re looking for a great dining experience, look no further than Northshore Tavern. Located directly across Federal Street from PNC Park, next door to Mike’s Beer Bar, Northshore Tavern is Pittsburgh’s home for Steak on a Stone. Enjoy your steak finished on a hot lava stone in front of you, where you ensure each piece is cooked to exactly your liking. or try their rotating selection of entre, hot sandwiches, salads, and burgers, all while enjoying the ambiance dedicated to the great players and history of the Pittsburgh Pirates all around you. Come see why everyone’s talking about Northshore Tavern and Steak on a Stone. [music] >> It’s Gun Storage Check Week. Help prevent unwanted access to your firearms. No [music] one wants their unsecured gun to be used in an accident, a suicide, or a crime. Use lock boxes, safes, and locks to secure your firearms. Learn more at gunstoch checkck.org. That’s gunstorage check.org. Brought to you by NSSF, the firearm industry trade association. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Today’s J1 Q comes from Brooke and she asks, “If you need [music] three hitters and you’re not competitive in the free agent market, then you have to enter the trade market. If the other GMs know that you have to make a trade, then it’s less likely that you’re going to get fair market value in a trade. And when have the Pirates ever gotten fair market value in a trade? In my feeling, the Pirates waited too long for high value to shake out. Is this team really going to make the playoffs in 2026? Yeah. Well, okay. I don’t do predictions. I’m happy to offer opinion, information, insight into stuff that’s already happened. That’s the life of a reporter. If you’re seeking predictions, you can seek someone with higher powers than what I have. But I loved the earlier point that you made here because the fact is, and I feel this is a fact, you’re never going to get three actual hitters out of free agency. Not with the money that they have allotted. not after putting 8 million of the money that they did have into a lefty non-closing reliever. I also don’t see any additional life to the scenario in which the Pirates were going to allow their spending to go up to 110 million. something I’d reported exclusively any event that there was a truly special bat, someone who could just make an unquestioned massive impact on their lineup. I believe this I don’t know. I believe that was a Kyle Schwarber or bust asterisk onto the payroll. The Pirates, by the way, are not the only team that would have had such a thing. That guy is an instant. 50 plus home runs, 130 plus RBI’s, and there isn’t a whole lot of him around. So, what’s left? Brooke, you bring up trades. I I’m not as into the concept as you seem to be that if GMs know that you have to make a trade that it’s a I the whole planet knows, anybody who would care knows that Pirates need offense. They don’t have a a pose that they can strike that would fool anybody. To the contrary, the numbers are pretty stark. And it’s here that I’ve wondered for quite some time, really going back a couple of years, why Cher has refused to give up any of his pitching futures for anything resembling offense. I did say on yesterday’s show that wasn’t new either that he just doesn’t see it as important or anywhere near as important as pitching and even defense. And so he allowed the offense to sink so low that it took this much incompetence, this much ignorance of what bats mean that he needed to be essentially threatened from above to go and do something about it. And and and and [clears throat] you know, he still hasn’t. So are they going to make the playoffs? That’s for you to have fun with, Brooke. I have all kinds of reasons for not doing predictions, but one of them is that we have no idea what this team is right now. It’s the 18th of December. We’re a week out from Christmas. We’re a little less than two months away from pitchers and catchers and not a single major league bat has been added yet. So, I can’t imagine that anyone has any idea on this. I appreciate the question. I appreciate everybody who listens to Daily Shot of Pirates. Reminder here that in [music] the off season we only do four of these per week, barring some, you know, massive news. And we did have a Friday episode a couple of weeks ago [music] to go with the Johan Noviedo trade. Who knows? Maybe we’ll have one tomorrow. Maybe we won’t. One way or another, we’ll [music] have a show Monday. Thanks for being here. [music]

But who’ll improve among the existing hitters, if anyone?

#Pittsburgh #Pirates #LetsGoBucs #MLB #DKPS

Hear award-winning columnist Dejan Kovacevic’s Daily Shot of Pirates every weekday morning!

SUBSCRIBE TO CHANNEL ► https://www.youtube.com/@DKPS_Pirates?sub_confirmation=1

MEMBERSHIP TO CHANNEL ► https://www.youtube.com/@DKPS_Pirates/join

OUR APPS ► https://DKPS.net/apple | https://DKPS.net/android

OUR WEBSITE ► http://www.DKPittsburghSports.com

ABOUT US ► DK Pittsburgh Sports is the proud, pioneering, fully independent venture begun in 2014 by award-winning reporter Dejan Kovacevic and featuring a professional staff covering the Pirates year-round and everywhere they go! This is where it all started!