The Pirates Finally Have the Bats to Keep Up With Their Arms

Following the 2025 season, the Pittsburgh Pirates had a lot of self-reflecting to do. While their homegrown starting rotation had begun to take shape as one of the best in the sport as a whole, they were also lacking in numerous areas as well. One of their biggest weaknesses was the offense, which finished with a putrid team wRC+ of just 82 — the second-worst mark in the entire game.

Given this, the Pirates knew something had to be done, and be done fast if they wanted to maximize the playoff window this rotation was going to provide them. With owner Bob Nutting loosening the purse strings like never before, the club had more freedom to add than at any point in recent history, and they didn’t hesitate to act on this freedom.

Their two biggest acquisitions were Ryan O’Hearn and Brandon Lowe, two veteran bats that would bring a plethora of newfound power to a lineup that was historically bad in that area. In fact, O’Hearn’s two-year, $29 million deal was the first time they had inked a multi-year free agent in nearly a decade, marking the dawn of a new era in Pittsburgh.

Fast-forward more than 70 games into the 2026 season, and these acquisitions have combined with the Pirates’ previous assets to produce not just one of the most dangerous offenses in baseball — but rather, one of the best offenses in franchise history.

Although it may have taken longer than most fans would have liked, the Pirates finally have the bats to keep up with their arms, and it’s transforming them into a potential playoff team. If they’re able to end the drought, it would be the first contending team Pittsburgh has had in over a decade.

All stats updated prior to games on Wednesday, June 17

Who Are the Main Producers?

In order to truly appreciate just how good this Pirates offense has been up to this point, we have to take a closer, individual look at the players who are producing the most. Unlike top offenses around the league, it’s far more than the superstars who are contributing to this group, but it’s the underappreciated sluggers who are sometimes even doing more damage than the household names.

Brandon Lowe

It only feels right to begin this section with Brandon Lowe, the move that first kick-started the team’s offseason and showed that the front office was serious about improving. He’s been everything he was advertised to be and more, as he’s currently slashing .239/.321/.511 with an astounding 18 home runs, a 127 wRC+, and 2.3 fWAR.

As we creep closer and closer to the MLB All-Star Game next month in Philadelphia, Lowe is building a strong case to be one of the club’s representatives during the summer classic. He leads all NL second basemen in homers and slugging percentage, and he’s within the top five in wRC+, fWAR, wOBA, and more.

Lowe has truly been a transformative asset for this club, as he’s on pace for arguably the greatest season by a second baseman in franchise history.

Ryan O’Hearn

If it weren’t for a right quad injury that held Ryan O’Hearn off the field for nearly two weeks’ worth of games, we may be discussing him as another potential All-Star representative for the Pirates. After signing one of the largest free agent deals in franchise history, O’Hearn has been worth every penny both on and off the field, as he’s been another transformative figure on this club.

Nicknamed the “Run Producer”, O’Hearn has slashed .282/.346/.454 with 10 homers, 35 RBI, and a 121 wRC+ through his first 59 games of the season. Despite his absence from the roster due to injury, he still ranks at the top of the club in nearly every offensive category, including being one of four Pirates to drive in 35 or more runs to this point.

With O’Hearn capable of doing damage via the long ball or simply driving in a run by hitting a base hit up the middle of the field, he’s given this lineup another level of protection and the ability to come through when it matters most, something they haven’t had many times in recent memory.

Spencer Horwitz

When looking around the sport, few hitters are producing like Spencer Horwitz while receiving less recognition, as he’s quietly become a top first baseman in the sport this season. After joining the Pirates during a trade before the 2025 season, Horwitz has become a key piece of the club in seemingly no time.

So far through 68 games this season, Horwitz has slashed .277/.383/.446 with nine homers, a 133 wRC+, and has produced 1.4 fWAR. He’s on pace to set a new career high in homers, and he has a chance to break a plethora of franchise records for first basemen. Not only this, but he currently leads all NL first basemen in OBP, and he’s yet another member of this team who is building a strong case to be an All-Star next month.

Although Horwitz was quite unproven when the Pirates originally dealt for him, he’s certainly made a name for himself now, and made up for all expectations the front office had for him.

Bryan Reynolds

After having the most disappointing year of his career in 2025 by a good margin, Bryan Reynolds has been looking for vengeance early in the 2026 season. He’s back to being an All-Star-caliber player, and he’s arguably been the most productive member of this Pirates offense overall up until this point.

So far this season, the 31-year-old has slashed .280/.400/.470 with 10 homers, 45 RBI, a 143 wRC+, and an fWAR of 2.1, a mark that’s already surpassed his mark from last season. If the season ended today, Reynolds’ .394 OBP would be a new career-high, and the same can be said for his walk rate by a wide margin.

It’s very impressive how consistently Reynolds has produced throughout his big league career. With every game that passes, he’s silenced doubters and proved that his 2025 campaign was nothing more than a down year.

Oneil Cruz

After beginning his 2026 season in arguably the lowest way possible by making multiple costly mistakes in center field, Oneil Cruz has been out to silence the haters, and he’s done that with his play. Despite being quite streaky along the way, the production we’ve seen from Cruz this year has lived up to the hype he once had.

Through 64 games this season, Cruz had slashed .264/.350/.472 with 14 homers, 21 stolen bases, a 127 wRC+, and 1.7 fWAR. Multiple of these marks would be career-highs if the season ended today, and although not a career-high just yet, his fWAR was a higher mark than his entire 2025 campaign.

Unfortunately, right as Cruz was really beginning to catch fire yet again, he was placed on the injured list following a nondisplaced fracture of multiple bones in his left hand. The timetable for his return is 4-6 weeks, with the road to recovery having the potential to be challenging, as hand injuries are always difficult for hitters to deal with.

Other Producers

Even though the five players we covered individually have been the biggest pieces of this club up to this point, others in the lineup have been quite productive in their own right as well.

For starters, Nick Gonzales has seemingly turned a corner this season, as he’s slashed .291/.342/.358 through his first 68 games this year. Even if he hasn’t exactly been an extra-base hit threat, Gonzales’ ability to find a way on has been huge for setting up RBI opportunities for the rest of the order.

Before suffering a forearm strain that’s sidelined him since May 31, Konnor Griffin was beginning to look like the number one prospect he was earlier this season. With Griffin capable of impacting the game by way of extra-base hits, stealing bases, and working good at-bats, he was a huge piece of this group while healthy as well.

The Lineup’s Historical Success

Not only do the Pirates have a plethora of players who are currently in the midst of electric campaigns where they’ll likely set new career-highs, but they’re also on pace to break multiple franchise records as well. Even if it may seem hard to wrap your head around, this Pirates offense is so good that they’re actually one of the best offenses in team history.

For starters, the Pirates have never historically been a team that’s slugged very much in comparison to the rest of the league. In fact, their franchise record for most homers as a team in a single season is a measly 171, a mark that most teams around the game surpass with relative ease.

This record has a real chance to be broken this season, as the Pirates have already slugged 89 homers as a team through their first 74 games. This puts them on pace for roughly 195 home runs by the end of the season, meaning they wouldn’t just surpass the 171 mark, but they’d crush it.

Looking back at the franchise’s history, this is the first time the Pirates have slugged 86 or more homers through their first 74 games of a season. In fact, they’ve only ever hit 80 or more through their first 74 games three times, with the most recent of these feats being two decades ago in 2006.

Comparing this to last season, the contrast is extremely clear. By this point in 2025, the Pirates had only slugged 50 homers, which was a huge drop-off from the production we’ve seen this year.

You don’t have to look far to see the historical significance of this offense so far, and it’s especially important to remember the electric arms the Pirates still possess to pair with their bats. With a rotation headlined by Paul Skenes and Braxton Ashcraft, this club has quickly become very interesting if all goes to plan the rest of the season.

Where Can the Pirates Still Upgrade Offensively?

Although this offense is nothing shy of historic across the board, there are still some places where the Pirates could potentially get even better in the following year’s trade deadline. The most glaring weakness is the catcher position, where the club has barely gotten any production from a rotating cast of former top prospects.

Most notably, former first overall pick Henry Davis has continued his offensive struggles, and they’re beginning to reach a point where they can no longer be ignored. He’s slashed an abysmal .135/.236/.278 with a 44 wRC+ and five homers to this point. Initially given the starting catcher position, Davis has slowly slipped to a background character yet again due to these struggles.

However, since returning to the big leagues, Endy Rodriguez has looked like the player he was once anticipated to be a few seasons ago. He’s slashed .267/.413/.467 with three homers and a 150 wRC+ through his first 23 games, as he’s played his way into the starting position behind the dish.

Even though this has been a positive stretch, the Pirates could still benefit from adding a legitimate, proven, strong offensive catcher at this year’s trade deadline. Whether they dream big for a superstar like Adley Rutschman or focus their attention on someone more realistic, such as Ryan Jeffers, there’s a lot of room to upgrade here.

Even without making a big splash at this year’s deadline, the Pirates finally have the bats to keep up with their rotation, and it’s made them a dangerous squad up to this point in the season.