Top 10 Pittsburgh Pirates Storylines To Follow this Spring

As spring training gets underway, MLB has plenty of exciting teams on the horizon, with interesting players and organizations across the league. One of the more intriguing teams to watch will be the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Despite a disappointing offseason, the Pirates still possess one of the better young cores in the league. Paul Skenes will be pitching his first full season with the club, alongside a pair of other really good arms in Jared Jones and Mitch Keller.

Bubba Chandler, one of the game’s top pitching prospects, will also be competing for the number-five spot in the rotation in spring games.

Not only is this team’s pitching extremely talented, but their offense is built on young talent. Former first-round picks Nick Gonzales and Nick Yorke will both be looking to make improvements, alongside other younger players. Oneil Cruz will play his first full season in center field, alongside two-time All-Star Bryan Reynolds in right.

While the Pirates may not be the most glamorous squad on the surface, they still look like one of the main teams to watch this year. If all goes right, they could be a few big seasons away from breaking into the postseason as a Wild Card-level team.

Without further ado, let’s dive into the top 10 storylines to watch this spring in Bradenton.

Will Henry Davis Turn Things Around?

In December, I wrote a piece on the catching battle that’s going to take place during this year’s spring training. In that story, I said that I expected Joey Bart to become the team’s top catcher, with the battle for the backup spot coming down to Henry Davis and Endy Rodriguez.

While I was critical of Davis’ offensive showing to this point in his career, there is still a very real possibility that Davis finally lives up to his status as a former first-overall pick.

During last year’s spring training games, Davis performed amazingly at the plate. The argument could be made that it was his best offensive showing since 2022, when he flew threw the minors, posting a 136 wRC+. Last spring, Davis hit four homers in just 16 games while posting an OPS above 1.000.

After that spring showing though, Davis went on to spend a lot of time on the injured list, while posting a wRC+ of just 30 during his time in the big leagues, which was incredibly disappointing.

If Davis can showcase any improvements he made in the offseason, we could see him make a bigger push to be on the Opening Day roster than most people may think.

Davis’ ability to hit at the major league level will be key to the Pirates’ success moving forward, and seeing him potentially get back on track this spring will be a big part of that.

Oviedo Returns from Tommy John Surgery

Back in 2023, the Pirates had begun to show the first signs of having a good rotation brewing. This started with Mitch Keller, who made his first All-Star game that season. But, another big piece of that belief was right-hander Johan Oviedo.

Oviedo performed very well in 2023, overperforming his projected numbers from before the season. He posted a 4.31 ERA, 104 ERA+, 20.2% strikeout rate, and recorded a 1.8 fWAR in 32 starts. His best game came against the Royals on August 28th, when Oviedo threw a complete game shutout.

However, disaster struck for the 26-year-old the following offseason, as he got the news he’d need Tommy John surgery, missing the entirety of the 2024 season.

Now, in 2025, Oviedo appears to be nearly fully recovered and looking to return to the same level of success he found in 2023. With the Pirates still searching for their number five starter, having a healthy Oviedo in the mix will make for an amazing competition in Bradenton.

Will Tommy Pham Be the Answer in the OF?

Coming into the offseason, the Pirates had a few questions they’d need to answer to be successful in 2025. The main hole they’d have to address was finding a third outfielder, which was a big factor in tying together the offense before Opening Day.

With plenty of options available, the Pirates opted to go with veteran Tommy Pham, hoping he could be the answer. Pham is coming off of one of his worst years, where he posted a 91 wRC+ in 116 games between three teams.

While Pham wasn’t the ideal solution to the outfield problem, he does come with a decent amount of upside. At his peak, Pham was capable of hitting 20 or more homers, alongside being a three-win player.

While it’s been six seasons since Pham’s last 20-homer campaign with over 3.0 fWAR, the Pirates are hoping they can unlock this version of Pham once again. Not only that but seeing how Pham will impact the younger players on the team will also be interesting, as he should be a valuable veteran presence in the locker room.

Pirates youngster Oneil Cruz was also a big reason Pham landed in Pittsburgh, stating “We were having a conversation, and Tommy was telling me, ‘Talk to your people. I want to sign with the Pirates.'”

Given that Pham has already had an impact on the players on the team, it’ll be interesting to see how he affects the team on the field starting this spring.

Ke’Bryan Hayes’ Health and New Swing Adjustment

Despite spring training just getting underway, one of the biggest stories coming out of Bradenton has been Ke’Bryan Hayes‘ health and a new swing adjustment he made in the offseason.

Firstly, Hayes has been very vocal about putting a lot of emphasis on minimizing his back issues. Although he noted his back issues are chronic and will never fully go away, he spent his entire offseason focusing on getting in good health and staying on the field.

Hayes noted in an interview that getting back to how he felt at the end of 2023 would be a huge success, and I would have to agree. Hayes hit better than we’d ever seen over the final two months of 2023, posting a 129 wRC+.

On the North Shore Nine Podcast, Pirates writer Alex Stumpf also noted that he’s seeing Hayes smile more than ever, which is another great sign.

The other big factor that could be something to watch in Hayes’ game will be his newfound two-handed finish. In the past, we’ve seen one-handed finishes be contributors to back and shoulder injuries, as they allow the body to turn more and end up in more awkward positions.

For Hayes, this could be a game-changer in preventing another aggravation in his back. Not only this, but two-handed finishes allow players to be more connected throughout their full swings, which may even give Hayes more power than he had before.

While Hayes has always been a really good hitter in spring training, keeping an eye on his back and swing adjustment will be a key storyline to follow.

Can Brent Strom Make an Impact?

Although the Pirates didn’t make many external improvements this offseason via the trade or free agent markets, they did make plenty of upgrades to their coaching staff. These moves have been very important yet have been swept under the rug for the majority of the offseason.

The most notable personnel upgrade the Pirates made on the pitching side was the acquisition of pitching guru Brent Strom to be their assistant pitching coach. Strom’s previous successes have been very notable, as he’s been a big piece in developing many ace-level talents for other organizations.

Strom was most notably the pitching coach for the Houston Astros from 2014-2021 and the Arizona Diamondbacks from 2022-2024. In both of these jobs, he helped develop amazing pitching staffs.

During his time with Houston, Strom saw two of his pitchers win the Cy Young Award, and the team never allowed an ERA higher than 4.58, which came during the 60-game season in 2020. Strom played a huge role in reviving Gerrit Cole’s career specifically, helping him to one of the best pitching seasons in recent memory.

During his time with Arizona, Strom helped turn Zac Gallen into the ace he is now, as Gallen received an All-Star nod and a third-place Cy Young finish while coached by Strom. Strom also coached the pitching staff that helped Arizona reach the World Series in 2023.

While Strom won’t take over as the main pitching coach in 2024, it’s going to be interesting to see the level of impact he’ll have on the younger arms in the Pirates’ system. If Strom can also help David Bednar return to his previous, All-Star level, this move will be a huge success.

Is Matt Hague the Answer for the Offense?

Similarly to the addition of Brent Strom, the Pirates have a lot riding on the addition of their new hitting coach, Matt Hague.

Hague, a former Pirate himself, is coming to the club from the Toronto Blue Jays. He has a tough job to take on, as the team’s previous hitting coach, Andy Haines, took the blame for a lot of the team’s offensive failures.

Hague was a hitting coach through the Blue Jays’ system, making stops in High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A, before eventually becoming the assistant hitting coach for the Blue Jays at the big league level.

Although it’s a little harder to quantify the impact Hague had on the Blue Jays’ organization due to his limited time in the big leagues, he was often credited with helping a lot of their younger hitters succeed.

Joey Loperfido credited Hague as someone who helped him, and Hague worked throughout the minors with many of the Blue Jays’ bats. For example, Ernie Clement, Davis Schneider, and more worked with Hague throughout the system.

He’s also been credited as someone who had a huge influence on the Bucs’ newest first baseman, former Blue Jay Spencer Horwitz. This chemistry will be crucial in allowing Horwitz to take his game to the next level with the Pirates.

The Blue Jays have also been one of the better contact-hitting teams in baseball in recent years, which is something the Pirates have struggled with.

If Hague can have as big of an impact on the club as he did with the Blue Jays, we could start to notice improvements in the offense as early as spring training.

Will Holderman and Bednar Succeed?

For the Pittsburgh Pirates, the collapse of their bullpen was a huge part of their eventual demise last year. The Pirates finished with 29 blown saves, which tied them with the Dodgers for the third most in the league.

If the Pirates had completed even half of those, they could have been a 90-win club and found themselves in the Wild Card race.

But, this is not what happened. A huge piece of the bullpen collapse was the downfall of David Bednar and Colin Holderman, and their bounce-back efforts will be something to monitor this spring.

Those two pitchers were responsible for 13 of the team’s blown saves, which is super alarming. It’s unrealistic to wonder what would’ve happened if they had been perfect, but it’s not unrealistic to wonder just how much better the team would’ve been if they had completed some of those blown saves.

Bednar has reportedly come into spring training in much better shape than he had been in previously, which should help him a lot. Hopefully, Bednar has also worked with the team’s pitching coaches to address his potential pitch tipping issues that Trevor May noticed in his YouTube video breaking down his struggles.

As for Holderman, his ceiling is incredibly high. Before the All-Star break in 2024, Holderman had pitched to an ERA of 1.77, which skyrocketed to 6.32 in the second half.

If the Pirates can get both of their top relievers back on track in 2025, there’s truly no telling what type of impact it could have on the team.

Will the Youngsters Make an Impact?

Due to the lack of external offensive upgrades the Pirates made this offseason, one of the important parts of their success will be how the younger players on the team perform. This spring, we should begin to see some of these players separate themselves from the pack.

In the infield, many analysts think that former first-rounder Nick Gonzales is poised for a breakout campaign after posting promising numbers last season. Gonzales flashed solid potential, posting a wRC+ just below league average in his time in the majors.

Also, Nick Yorke is another top prospect who we could see break out and earn his way to the Opening Day roster. He finished the season with the big league club last season, and similarly to Gonzales, flashed a lot of potential. Since he arrived from the Red Sox, he’s been one of the better hitters in the organization, and his success will be important to the future of the club.

On the pitching side of things, there’s the possibility the team’s top prospect Bubba Chandler could push his way onto the roster, similarly to how Jared Jones did last spring. Aside from the three-headed monster of Skenes, Keller, and Jones, the team’s limited rotation depth should allow for a breakout from Chandler to land him on the roster.

It’ll be important to keep an eye on some of these young players, as their impact on the club will likely determine whether or not the Pirates have any chance of succeeding once the season begins.

Spencer Horwitz’s Injury

One of the biggest moves the Pirates made this offseason was the acquisition of Spencer Horwitz. Many fans were excited about the potential offense he could bring to the table. But, we’ll have a slight delay before we get to see Horwitz’s skills on full display, as he’s going to miss significant time this spring after having wrist surgery.

While I remain confident in Horwitz’s abilities once he’s healthy and on the field, this wrist injury presents an interesting question: When Horwitz is injured, who will take his place?

This is a question that’s going to be answered this spring, as the job could land in the hands of a few different players. Jared Triolo is the name that’s stood out the most, but the team has given Adam Frazier some reps at first base as well.

It was also reported that Nick Yorke has begun to play with the idea of learning first base as well, as his brother mailed him a spare first base glove in camp earlier this spring.

It’ll be interesting to see who the Pirates will turn to to cover the first base position for the time being, and we’ll have our answer soon enough.

Pirates Spring Training Storylines: Final Thoughts

When looking at the Pirates as a whole, I get excited about all of the possibilities for a team with this much young talent. With their rotation in the state it’s currently in, such a strong starting staff could make them one of the more feared teams in a playoff series if they were to get that far.

But, as we saw this offseason, there are a lot of issues the team still needs to address to make that a reality. This spring, we should hopefully see how the Pirates attempt to address these holes, and it should make for an interesting experience.