2026 proved 10+ Pirates bright spots for next year

PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Pirates fell short of the goal, sitting out of the playoffs once again. A fifth winning season in three and a half decades does bring some positives. Here are 10, well 10ish, players who stepped up in 2026 who will be back and part of a team needed to take another step.

RHP Braxton Ashcraft

• Steve Blass Award winner had the most consistent season of the Pirates starters finishing 14-6, 3.65 ERA, 28 starts, 165.1 innings, 35 walks, 173 strikeouts and 1.09 WHIP. When the pitching staff was going sideways, they could count on Ashcraft before likely fatigue caught up with him in September. He also set an example of how to be efficient with his pitch count to throw 96 more innings in the majors than the previous season.

LHP Mason Montgomery

• Developed into the Pirates closer after they attempted to find his role during the first half of the season after acquiring him via trade. He would finish with a 6-4 record, 2.88 ERA, 18 saves in 21 opportunities with a .180 batting average against and 1.03 WHIP. He numbers really jumped up after becoming the finisher. July 2-0, 1.46 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, .073 BA against. August 1-0, 11 appearances, 5 for 5 in saves, .111 BA against, 0.47 WHIP. September 1-1, 2.08 ERA, 11 for 12 in saves, 1.03 WHIP, .174 BA against. No guarantees given what happened with Dennis Santana last year, but Montgomery embraced the opportunity.

CF Oneil Cruz

• It was an auspicious start for Cruz with a couple of glaring defensive mistakes on Opening Day. Couldn’t count the calls to the Fan talk shows about what a disaster Oneil was after one game? What the balance of the season showed was an improved defensive player, who was making the right decisions, making highlight plays and doing a better, still work to do, job of communication as the centerfielder. Cruz had his best statistical season hitting 20 home runs with 30 steals in just 97 games with a .280 batting average, .368 on-base percentage and .854 OPS. His work in the offseason led to a career-shattering best .326 average against left-handed pitchers with an .847 OPS. The previous season, Cruz hit .102 with a .400 OPS against lefties.

SS Konnor Griffin

• He showed hints of being a great player, didn’t looked overwhelmed starting as a 19-then-20-year-old. Dealt with his first major injury and came out with no apparent issues. He had multi-hit games in 4 of his last 6 and finished his rookie season .272 average, .324 on-base, .728 OPS with 15 doubles, 4 triples and 6 home runs with 23 stolen bases in 80 games.

INF Nick Gonzales

• The defense has to improve and the potential he moves back to 2^nd base, where he is much better defensively, if the Pirates don’t re-sign Brandon Lowe (BTW, Lowe would top this list if not a free agent). The 2020 first-round pick finished 6^th in the majors with a .303 batting average and one of just seven players to hit .300

RHP Jared Jones

• Coming back from an elbow surgery that kept him out over a season, Jones started 21 games, threw 101.2 innings with 123 strikeouts and a 1.08 WHIP. Still just 25-years-old, the right-hander was elite in September going 3-0, 0.93 ERA, 29 innings, 13 hits, 3 runs, 4 walks and 40 strikeouts to a 0.59 WHIP and .133 batting average against.

1B/OF Ryan O’Hearn

• A pair of hamstring injuries shortened his season, but he was a difference-maker on the field and in the Pirates clubhouse. The lefty had 76 RBI in just 110 games, which was a career-high, as were the 18 home runs. He was steady defensively whether in right field or first base and is a motivating presence with his teammates.

OF Jake Mangum

• At 30, he had only played one season in the majors, but when Oneil Cruz went out for a couple of months, Mangum hit .329 in June and .319 in July, overall hitting .301 as a starter with a .345 OPS. Quickly nicknamed ‘Mayhem’, Mangum brings it every play and is under team control through 2030 in whatever role they want to use him.

OF Esmerlyn Valdez/C Rafael Flores

• It was almost as if the Magician handed his wand to Flores as the Pirates at least showed some right-handed power-hitting potential as the 22-year-old Valdez hit 17 home runs in 72 games. That included a tear where he homered in four straight games in late June and then in from early-to-mid July hit 7 home runs in 8 games. As Valdez cooled down, Flores, 25, hit 6 home runs in 66 at bats in August and finished with 11 homers in just 148 at bats. Finally some farm system pop from the right side.

RHPs Yohan Ramirez/Luke Weaver/Lake Bacher

• Last year the Pirates had reliever regress from 2025 to 2026, but going into next season a trio likely make pup a bulk of the Bucs bullpen, this is not including if Carmen Mlodzinski remains with the team. Weaver overall had a strong season, even if his numbers with the Pirates were 4.96 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, .274 batting average against. After early struggles, he did finish the season with four straight scoreless outings. Bacher is under team control until 2031 and was used in different roles including as an opener finishing 1-2, 2.57 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP and .182 batting average against as a Pirates reliever. The 31-year-old Ramirez, who just loves life, finished with 7 wins, a 2.86 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and .188 batting average against. After a 9.24 ERA in May, Ramirez’s ERA over the last four months—1.29, 0.77, 3.07, 1.46.

And this is without mentioning 200 strikeouts from Paul Skenes, career-high 40 doubles from Bryan Reynolds and some flashes from Bubba Chandler with the potential of a better Mitch Keller in 2027.