Pirates Predicted Last in NL Central
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates didn't receive kind projections from national media, as they head into the 2025 season.
Keith Law of The Athletic predicted the final standings of the 2025 season, placing the Pirates last in the National League Central Division, with a record of 69-93.
He doesn't have high hopes for the Pirates hitting, which he rated as one of the worst in baseball. He also thinks that starting pitcher Jared Jones missing time with injury won't help, that they gave too much away in the trade for Spencer Horwitz and that he does like Nick Yorke, but is disappointed he's not at the MLB level.
"The Pirates might be without their No. 2 starter, Jared Jones, for a while, and their offense remains one of the weakest in baseball," Law wrote. "I’m not a big Spencer Horwitz believer, at least not enough to trade Luis Ortiz and two high-beta left-handed pitching prospects for him. I was hoping they’d give Nick Yorke the second-base job, as I think he’s their best option there, and maybe he’ll be back in the majors early enough in the season to boost the offense a little. They had the third-worst offense in the NL last year and I don’t expect them to escape the bottom five."
Pittsburgh pushed for a wild card spot in late July 2024, but an 8-19 August, which included a 10-game losing streak, stopped them from making their first postseason since 2015 and they finished with a 76-86 record.
The Pirates struggled again with their hitting last season, with .234 batting average as a team, tied for the seventh worst team batting average in the MLB, which saw them fire hitting coach Andy Haines.
They set a franchise record with 1,506 strikeouts, the fourth most in the MLB. They tied for the fourth worst on-base percentage at .301, the fourth worst slugging percentage at .371, leading to the fourth worst OPS (on-base plus slugging) at .672.
The Pirates also ranked in the bottom third of the MLB with 643 RBIs, No. 21, 1,283 hits and 17 triples, No. 22, 665 runs, No. 24, 160 home runs and 2,033 total bases, No. 25 and 236 doubles, No. 26.
Walks was the only category that Pittsburgh didn't feature in the lower end of the MLB, tied with the Atlanta Braves at No. 17 with 485 walks.
Only two starters who played more than 100 games had a batting average of .250 of more, in Oneil Cruz at .259 and All-Star outfielder Bryan Reynolds at .275.
The Pirates did add free agent outfielder Tommy Pham on a one-year, $4 million deal with $250,000 in incentives. They also traded for Horwitz, but he is currently dealing with a wrist and didn't play all Spring Training.
Pittsburgh opens its season with a four-game road series vs. the Miami Marlins, starting on March 27.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.