Vibes are high at Pittsburgh Pirates spring training in Bradenton, Florida. Between their talented pitching staff, rising stars and All-Star newcomers, the Pirates have a team that’s built to win in 2026 and beyond.
The biggest offseason change for Pittsburgh was its lineup, which added former All-Stars Brandon Lowe, Marcell Ozuna and Ryan O’Hearn. It also has Konnor Griffin and Jhostynxon Garcia, both of whom are NL Rookie of the Year candidates this season.
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Accordingly, the Pirates’ offense looks far more dangerous this season after ranking last in runs, home runs, OPS and other categories last year. There’s power, speed, balance and depth.
“I think we have a really good lineup. If you look around the league, I think ours stacks right up there,” Bryan Reynolds told MLB.com’s Jason Mackey. “We have talent. We have fast guys. We have guys who can hit homers. We have guys who can get on base. I think it’s going to be a good offensive year.”
Reynolds isn’t the only one who thinks so. FanGraphs projects Pittsburgh to average 4.44 runs per game this season, up from 3.60 runs per game last year.
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“We have a really good mix of different guys,” manager Don Kelly said. “Just a lot of different options there with who we added, who we’re bringing back.”
The Pirates should at least be average offensively this year, with the potential to be more than that if a few things break right for them. In other words, their pitchers shouldn’t have to worry too much about run support anymore.
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