The Pittsburgh Pirates entered Spring Training with the final spot in their starting rotation up for grabs. They signed Jose Urquidy to a one-year deal in early February, but he is far from guaranteed a starting rotation role. Carmen Mlodzinski has looked outright dominant in spring and has made some promising adjustments to his game. However, his teammate Hunter Barco has made some even greater adjustments to his game, adding three new offerings to his pitch mix. It may be what separates him from the rest of the pitchers gunning for the Pirates’ fifth rotation spot.
Mar 1, 2026; Jupiter, Florida, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Hunter Barco (45) delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Barco Dominated With a Limited Pitch Mix in 2025
Barco had a massive breakout season in 2025. In 99.1 innings between Altoona and Indy, the left-hander had a 2.81 ERA, a 27.8% strikeout rate, and 11.8% walk rate. Barco also only had a 0.45 HR/9 ratio. That earned the young hurler a late-season Major League promotion. He only pitched three frames, but didn’t allow a walk, earned run, and struck out a trio of opponents in his first taste of big league action.
Barco’s primary pitch mix at Triple-A consisted of three offerings. His four-seam fastball sat 93 MPH with plus arm-side movement. Barco threw two breaking pitches, which included a low-80s slider and a mid-80s cutter. His primary off-speed pitch was an 84 MPH splitter that averaged below 1000 RPM of spin. At 768 RPM, he had the fifth-lowest spin splitter among Triple-A pitchers. Barco only used his fastball, splitter, and slider during his brief stint in the Majors.
A Look at His New Offerings
However, Barco has worked hard this offseason and has shown off three new offerings in Spring Training. His newly minted sinker has been his second-most used pitch in Spring Training. He is throwing this new offering at 93.2 MPH on average with 17.2 inches of arm-side run. It also comes in with 23.1 inches of vertical drop. According to Eno Sarris of The Athletic, Barco’s sinker is his worst new pitch, per Stuff+ metrics, so we may see him use it less frequently in the regular season.
Arguably, his best new offering is his low-80s sweeper. While it sits with similar velocity to his slider, around 83-84 MPH, it has much more horizontal action. So far into spring, he is throwing it with 10.1 inches of break. His slider, meanwhile, had only about 1-2 inches of horizontal movement. Barco’s new sweeper also has about 38.7 inches of vertical movement, compared to around 42 inches of vertical movement on his slider.
Finally, Barco is mixing in a change-up. He threw a few change-ups at Triple-A in 2025, but now he’s throwing one at a regular rate. His refined change has about 16 inches of arm-side run, compared to his splitter, which has about six inches. Barco’s splitter and change-up both have about the same amount of vertical drop, coming in around 34 inches. His new change-up has nearly 1000 more RPM, sitting just a few rotations under 1650.
New Offerings Are Helping Him Make a Serious Run for the Rotation
So far, it’s led to some promising Spring Training numbers for Barco. In 7.1 innings, Barco has induced a whiff rate of 38.1%. When batters are making contact, it’s rarely good contact. He’s held opponents to just an 87.5 MPH exit velocity. Barco has yet to allow a barreled-up batted ball. Overall, Barco has gotten nine K’s, allowed three earned runs, and just three hits.
Going from using just three or four pitches to having upwards of five or six pitches that Barco can use to an effective degree is a massive game-changer. He can change speeds, give batters different looks, and keep opponents off balance and guessing what he’s throwing next. These new offerings are what give him an edge over Urquidy and Mlodzinski.
Main Photo Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images